Team Caskett
by klscastle
Summary: "Team Caskett", as they've dubbed themselves, our beloved band of misfits, conspires to bring Beckett and Castle together. What could possibly go wrong? Uh... Everything. Chapter 11 THE SURPRISE PARTY, now up. It's party time people! Did Team Caskett succeed?... Please read it and find out ;- This chapter's rated T - ***chapter 10 rated M
1. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Disclaimer: _These characters are not mine, I only play with them and make them do silly things. I promise to put them back when I'm done._

A/N: _It's possible I may have lost my mind, since 47 Seconds aired. I'm just sayin'._

_Team Caskett_

_What Could Possibly Go Wrong?_

"What the hell is going on with those two?" Ryan asked, staring straight ahead through the two-way mirror.

"No idea Bro, but whatever it is, it's bad…" replied Esposito, his eyes narrowing as he took in the scene unfolding before them.

They continued to observe as Beckett and Castle finished interviewing the suspect. Usually an entertaining pastime; this evening's performance was quite worrisome. Even sans their trade-mark, rapid-fire allegations, the partners still managed to garner a confession from the suspect, but their usually palpable energy was non-existent. And although Beckett and Castle were still a force to be reckoned with; they got the job done, something had changed over the past few weeks. Gone was the playful banter, and amusing finishing of each other's sentences; it was strictly business.

They watched as Beckett stood, called the guard in, and then instructed him where to take the prisoner. They weren't alone for five seconds before Castle jumped up and checked his watch. His eyes darted everywhere _but_ directly at Beckett. It was obvious he was itching to get out of the room, highly unusual, then almost on cue, muttered he was taking off, not even giving Beckett a chance to respond. He bolted, leaving her staring after his wake as the door closed behind him. She hung her head down low, sighed, and then returned to her chair, her intent most likely to gather up her files. Only she wasn't moving. She was just sitting there, deep in thought, staring at the now closed door.

"It's like watching a train wreck." Said Ryan.

"He's mad at her." Esposito answered matter-of-factly.

"Castle's the one who's acting out of character." Ryan defended. "He's the one back to dating bimbos and practically flaunting it in Kate's face. I just don't get it."

"I don't understand it either, but he must have a reason. He's been in love with her for years."

"What do you think happened? I don't remember them fighting about anything."

"I haven't a clue…but I know who might." Esposito watched his friend and partner as it registered exactly _who_ might have some answers.

"Beckett's going to kill us for butting in to her personal business."

"Did you see her face?"

"Yeah…I'm in."

Lanie was in her lab going over some paperwork when Ryan and Esposito entered. She greeted them with a smile and asked them what she'd done to deserve the unexpected visit.

Esposito returned her smile, the one he reserved for when they were alone, and threw his cards down on the table. He thought he'd start with the blunt, surprise approach. "We came to see if you knew what was going on with Beckett and Castle." He said intentionally putting her on the spot, then watching as she pulled closed her "best friend with a secret, invisible shield".

"What are you two girls talking about?" she said feigning innocence. "And what makes you think I know anything about their personal business anyway?" she said quickly, adding "…honestly, you're a couple of nosy old busy-bodies, sitting around gossiping about other people." Javier then resorted to giving her his bedroom eyes, the bastard, but she was resigned to staying out of this. Besides, Kate would kill her if she broke her confidence.

Javier and Kevin glanced at each other knowingly. Ah, deflection, they knew it well, but these were a couple of detectives she was dealing with. Certain Lanie knew more than she was letting on, they were determined to break her silence.

"They're both miserable Lanie." Ryan said trying to help move things along. "We just want to help and we have a couple of ideas. We figured you could guide us so we don't screw it up and make things worse." He said looking pointedly at her. He reminded her of the Labrador she had as a kid.

"You two should mind your own business. Let them work out their problems on their own." She said remembering her vow of silence.

"Oh, so you admit they're having problems then." Javier said looking over at Ryan. "Now we're getting somewhere."

"I'm not admitting anything. Those were your words Javier Esposito." She countered. "And don't you be shooting me those eyes, by the way."

Ryan piped in, since his partner was getting nowhere fast. "You should have seen them tonight, Lanie. Hell, it's not just tonight," he said running his hands through his hair. He had to make her understand. "This has been going on for the past couple of weeks really. There's been no banter and no laughing. They're not even finishing each other's sentences anymore. It's really freaking us out." He said, as his voice became an octave or two higher. "Please, tell us what you know." He begged. "Surely Kate talks to you, you're best friends."

"Yeah, what he said." Javier added. "Chica, we only want to help. They're our friends too and we all know they're destined to be together."

"Look…I think it's sweet you two want to help…." She said, then stopped mid-sentence to address Javier. "Did you say you think they're destined to be together?"

"Yeah. It's their destiny. They're perfect for one another, meant to be." Javier replied.

"Oh, that's so sweet." She said going all girly on them, which was followed by melting. "And while I may agree with you..." She sighed. "It's not up to us. They're adults. They'll figure it out all in good time."

"Um, Lanie…," Ryan chimed in. "I don't know if you know this or not, but Castle's been flaunting some bimbo in Kate's face and going on wild weekends to Las Vegas, meanwhile Kate's not doing a thing to stop any of it. It's going downhill and fast. So I wouldn't quite say they're acting like adults, nor would I agree they have all the time in the world. He's definitely starting to move on without her. It's almost like he's trying to get over her. And she's letting it happen. We think she did something to piss him off. Something big, but we have no idea what it is."

"I saw him pull up in his Ferrari with the blonde." She said with a grimace. "I'm sure she's really… smart." Lanie couldn't hide her disgust from them. She wanted Kate and Rick to fix things too. She was of the opinion Kate needed to get off her ass and tell the guy how she feels before it was too late, however, butting in wasn't her style so she was still wary.

"It's getting progressively worse Lanie." Javier told her. "They're drifting farther apart from each other. There has to be something we can do. Aside from banging their heads together, I mean."

"I'd love to lock them in a room together and threaten to throw away the key until they hashed things out, but Beckett would probably shoot us." Ryan said.

Lanie looked like she wanted to say something, but was holding back. Javier decided to give it one final shot. "Look Lanie, when you and I weren't getting along, and couldn't see eye to eye, chucklehead over here," he said pointing to Ryan, "interfered every five minutes. He helped me to see I was being a stubborn jackass and that you were worth fighting for. We just want to do the same for Beckett and Castle." He waited patiently as she mulled it over.

"Damn you Javier. You had to go and pull out the big guns." She said fighting the urge to kiss him senseless.

Her internal debate put her heart at odds with her common sense. As she studied her very own Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dum she knew they were trying to do a good thing here. She also knew without a doubt they'd go ahead with _god knows what_ plans they had in mind and butt in with or without her help – the fools. She might as well make sure it didn't blow up in their faces. Their hearts were in the right place. She just hoped Kate would forgive her.

"Ok. Don't make me regret this." She told them shaking her head; pretty sure she'd gone and lost her mind. "I'll tell you what I know. You tell me what you got, and we'll talk about this. That's all I'm agreeing to right now." She hedged, but they knew they had her. Grinning ear to ear, they took a moment to feed the birds, and breathe a sigh of relief, since they knew deep down inside, they'd be lost without her adult supervision.

"But I have rules…." They tried to pay attention since apparently Lanie was still talking to them - something about rules. "This goes no further until you both agree. I'll listen to your ideas on how to get them to stop being so stubborn, to get them talking to each other, but I get veto rights. If I think your plan needs work, we wait. We do this my way so nothing goes wrong. Understood?" She waited for them to agree, which they did, wholeheartedly.

Ryan was the first to start… "What could possibly go wrong?" he replied, looking at Esposito who was nodding in agreement. "Ok, here's what we've seen…"

What they didn't know was Alexis was in the back of the lab, listening to the entire exchange.

A/N: _End of Chapter 1. I see it as one more chapter, but who knows… Please review; let me know what you think and if you'd like to see more. I'm thinking up some crazy antics for our trio, or is it a trio? There could be 5 or 6 more characters on Team Caskett. Just in case, I'm having a dozen shirts made. Thanks for reading! Karen_


	2. Little Castle

**Disclaimer:** _These characters are not mine, I only play with them and make them do silly things. I promise to put them back when I'm done._

**A/N:** _It's possible I may have lost my mind, since 47 Seconds aired. I'm just sayin'. Here's part 2!_

**Team Caskett**

**Part 2**

Alexis had come in half hour earlier than when her shift was due to start. She was really enjoying working with Lanie in the lab, hated being late, and was trying to make a good impression. When she came through the back entrance to the lab, she had overheard her father's name being spoken and instinctively froze. From their conversation, it didn't sound like they knew she was there, so she kept quiet and continued to eavesdrop.

She ought to feel guilty for listening in, but this was _her_ dad they were discussing, as well as her, so she quickly forgave herself for the lack of manners. They were right, her father had been acting out of character for the past couple of weeks, of course she'd noticed, didn't take a rocket scientist; the man wore his heart on his sleeve. Maybe by listening, she'd finally gain some insight. Unfortunately, she had no idea as to what had happened. He was acting like a man with a broken heart, and she assumed it had been broken by Kate Beckett. She didn't know until now, that Kate was also unhappy.

When she asked her father about it, he would only say he had a lot on his mind. She knew it was more than that; he was always trying to protect her "innocence". Unsatisfied with the answer she'd been given, she'd gone straight to her grandmother, the informer. Also out of character, her grandmother was even less forthcoming, and she wouldn't give Alexis a straight answer either. They were both hiding something from her, but what, she didn't know. Neither she, nor her grandmother were happy to see her dad running off to Vegas, and parading around some blonde flight attendant he'd met on an airline, this they could agree on; they'd both hoped those days were long gone.

All her grandmother would tell her is her father needed to be doing whatever made him happy right now. Alexis knew her Dad was in love with Kate Beckett, had been for years now, and she'd learned to accept it. Kate Beckett would most likely become the next Mrs. Castle. She liked Kate a lot, looked up to her; she was a great role model. And she'd been a good influence on her father over the years; he'd changed for the better since he'd met her. It wasn't Kate, she had a problem with; it was Kate's job. It was too dangerous – for both of them. And she'd lost a lot of sleep, and had more than a few long nights, worrying about their safety, especially after Kate was shot, by someone they still hadn't arrested.

She'd tried to make peace with the fact that her father enjoyed working with the detectives and wasn't stopping any time soon. And if the hostage situation at the bank had proven one thing – it was that her father was a trouble magnet. The bank robbery had nothing to do with Kate's job, or her father chasing bad guys, however, he still managed to find himself in the thick of things. Alexis assumed something bad must have happened between him and Kate; maybe she had a new boyfriend, which had always upset her dad in the past. It was the only logical explanation she could come up with for his sudden change in behavior. Listening to the detectives and Lanie, however, it appears she'd been wrong.

"Let's meet over at my place tonight around eight, for the first official meeting of "Team Caskett". Alexis heard Lanie say. "We'd better wrap this up for now. Alexis is due here in about fifteen minutes.

"Good, we can use her on the team." Ryan said.

"You think she knows anything?" Esposito asked.

"Who knows, maybe she can shed some light on the situation." Ryan answered.

"Listen to me now, …no, no, and no. I'm enforcing my veto power. I will not have you use that sweet, innocent girl to get insider information. We don't even know for sure if she wants them to get together.

"Why wouldn't she want them together?" Ryan asked. He'd never noticed any tension between the two.

"I get the impression Alexis is not too fond of Kate." She told him, debating how much to tell them.

"What makes you say that? I always thought they got along great." Esposito questioned. He could tell Lanie was holding back.

"I'm pretty sure she believes Kate's been jerking her dad around." She admitted.

"That's ridiculous! Kate's head over heels in love with him. She has some major issues to overcome first, which she's been working on. That, and she's as clueless as Castle." Esposito piped in. Lanie must be mistaken.

"I know that. Am I new here?" she said exasperated. "But Alexis doesn't know how much Kate's shooting has affected her."

"She still seeing that shrink?" Esposito asked.

"Yeah, and believe me, it's done a world of good. She was finally able to admit her feelings for Castle. It's hard for her. She doesn't understand what's suddenly made him so mad at her though. She's beside herself trying to figure it out. The man's put a 180 degree spin on their relationship."

"Why would Alexis have a problem with Kate?" Ryan asked genuinely confused.

"Well, it's probably a combination of watching Castle pine over Kate for years and they're still not together. Kate dated a few guys since Castle's been around, plus there's the fact that while working with Kate, her Dad's put into dangerous situations. How many times have those two beat death? If I was Alexis, I'd wonder if he was shadowing Kate just to spend time with her."

"Lanie, you know that's not true. She's pined over him, just as much, or do you not remember the summer Castle went away with Gina." Ryan argued.

"I thought for sure they would have hooked up then." Esposito agreed with Ryan.

"And, you'd have been right." Lanie said. "Kate was ready to tell him how she felt; it's why she'd broken up with Demming – but then his ex-wife showed up. She was miserable for months until Castle came back."

"Their timing really does suck." Ryan said shaking his head.

"Then when he did come back," Lanie continued, "He was in a relationship with Gina again, so Kate moved on. It wasn't what she wanted, so of course it didn't work out – no matter how hot Dr. Motorcycle Boy was." She noticed Javier was none too happy with her description of the good doctor, so quickly added, "What? He was hot. But don't worry – I think you're much hotter babe." This seemed to make him happier and they smiled like idiots at each other.

"Um, guys… focus." Ryan said. They were cute together, but he could do without the goo-goo eyes.

"So, you don't think Alexis would be Team Caskett then?" Esposito reiterated, trying to remain focused. If Ryan wasn't standing next to him, he'd have Lanie backed up against the wall right now.

"No, probably not." She replied. Her man sure was looking fine today.

"Okay, so no "Team Caskett" t-shirt for Alexis then, got it." Ryan said, trying to keep them on track. It was time to keep talking. It was getting hot in the room with the heat these two were generating. He wondered what Jenny was up to before adding…

"Too bad. But I still think you underestimate Little Castle. She knows her father well enough to know he doesn't do anything he doesn't want to, and everything he does want to. Castle may have started shadowing Kate because he was attracted to her, but that's only part of the reason he stays. He likes the sense of adventure, the thrill of solving a case. It's a rush for him, and he's not half bad for a pseudo cop. He's helped break a lot of cases. He's pretty good at it, that's the real reason he stays."

Ryan had a point. "He could have a relationship with Kate if he wanted to." Esposito said. "He doesn't have to shadow her at all. It just happens to be how they met. Even now, when they're on the outs, he's still showing up. Little Castle is smart enough to know this too. She's more mature than all of us. Maybe if she knew why Kate is the way she is, she'd be all for them getting together."

"Kate's going to kill me as it is." Lanie told them. "I will not have you involving the man's child into your crazy schemes. No good can come of it. Kate adores that girl. She's the one that advised me to take Alexis on as an intern in the first place. She thinks the kid's smart, has a good head on her shoulders and a zest for life matching her father's. You two are not going to contaminate the girl's innocence. Leave her out of it. We'll solve this mystery on our own."

Alexis had heard enough. She decided it was time to make her presence known; she cleared her throat and came around the bend shocking the group. "Hi!" she said cheerfully, surprising them into a moment of guilty silence before they panicked, and greeted her more energetically than normal. She kept the big innocent smile on her face, and was trying hard not to laugh since her entrance had made them all jump. She should probably come clean and tell them she heard everything, but not before having a little fun at their expense; after all, she is her father's daughter.

"Detectives, what are you doing here? Are my Dad and Detective Beckett with you? I thought I saw them in the hallway a few minutes ago." She looked over their shoulders, pretending she may have seen them, which forced them to do the same. They looked positively panicked. Both Ryan and Esposito checked the hallway, thankful the door had been closed. Satisfied Beckett and Castle weren't there and they hadn't been overheard, Lanie and the detectives seemed to relax slightly.

"Ummmm, no." Esposito answered. "Not sure where he and Detective Beckett have run off to right now."

"Yeah, it's just us," Ryan said trying to cover. "Me and Javi. And Lanie. Yup, just the three of us. Just chatting." He said ignoring Esposito's eyes which were currently rolling. Alexis couldn't help but think Detective Ryan was cute when he was flustered.

Esposito and Ryan both breathed a sigh of relief, since it didn't appear anyone had overheard them talking. Lanie, however, was not to be fooled.

"How long were you listening in?" Lanie wisely asked Alexis. "And how much did you hear?" she added. The kid was less innocent than she looked.

"About thirty minutes." Alexis responded, not in the least guilty. "And pretty much all of it." She said smiling. "Where do I sign up?" she asked to the relief of the group.

"You sure you want to do this?" Lanie asked her seriously, her maternal instincts rising to the surface.

"Well, if you don't let me join Team Caskett, I'll just have to go it alone." She told Lanie. "And I work much better in a team atmosphere."

Although secretly delighted Alexis was siding with them, she was still nervous about it. She looked over to the boys for confirmation and laughed as they were smiling like idiots. Lanie figured she was already in hot water, might as well go all in, what the hell. "Okay, you're in." she told her.

"Yes! One request…" Alexis continued, her enthusiasm contagious. "Can we please refrain from the "Little Castle" nickname? Oh! I know…" she exclaimed. "Maybe we could have really awesome code names!"

"So, what have you got for us Alexis?" Esposito laughed, amused at mini-Castle's antics. She was more like her father than she realized.

"Not much I'm afraid. I've been trying to find out what happened to make Dad so mad at Kate, but I haven't had much luck. It must be pretty bad, because he's not one to hold a grudge or keep secrets. But the more I think about it, he's been keeping secrets for awhile now, probably around six months."

"But he and Kate not getting along is only something that started recently." Ryan countered.

"I know. None of this makes any sense to me either. But I'm sure he's been hiding something for awhile now. I know my Dad." Alexis said.

"We need some answers if we're going to fix this mess." Lanie piped in. "We find out what's going on, come up with a solution, and then get them talking again."

"Well," Alexis said to the group once she had their full attention. "I may not know exactly what's going on between Kate and my Dad, however, with a little persuading, I'm pretty sure I know someone who does…"

A/N: So, what'd you think? This is going to be much longer than I anticipated, but more to follow soon. Reviews make me write faster! Thanks, for reading! - Karen


	3. Mother Knows Best

Disclaimer:_None of these characters are mine, yet I still get to bend them at will._

_(Insert Evil laugh here)_

A/N:_Happy Castle Monday People!_

Team Caskett

Part 3

The four founding members; Lanie, Esposito, Ryan and Alexis met after work at Lanie's for pizza and the first official meeting of "Team Caskett". Over dinner, and before the brainstorming session had even begun, Esposito and Ryan were already busy arguing over the merits of the name "Team Caskett" itself.

Ryan complained to Esposito that it was a terrible name with negative connotations. He felt the word "Caskett" implied they were _dead_ before they even got out of the starting gate, and thought it might be considered too depressing for a shipper name. He requested they select something more cheerful, upbeat, and cuter - say like "Esplanie" was.

Lanie was annoyed watching them argue, since they'd now wasted a good ten minutes of valuable time, but was used to how they normally interacted with each other. She figured she'd let them get it out of their systems, before reminding them who was in charge. She'd been patiently waiting it out, enjoying her pizza, until she noticed Alexis watching their verbal sparring with some concern.

Alexis kept looking like she was about to interrupt them, to attempt to be a voice of reason. "Oh, don't go there honey." Lanie stopped her. "Finish your pizza. You'll need your strength if you're going to be on this team. Those two…" she said pointing at the boys, "will be done with their nonsense soon enough." Alexis did just that, relaxing as their bickering became more entertaining. She and Lanie sat back and watched the show.

"The name is fine just as it is." Exclaimed Esposito as he turned to Alexis and asked for her opinion. "What do you think Alexis?" He never gave her a chance to respond, however, as he turned right back to continue his debate with Ryan on the subject. "It's got spirit dude, and it's going to look great on a t-shirt; plus, it's catchy!" He defended. "But I'll humor you Bro, what've you got?"

"Well…" Ryan began, "A good name is important. And there are plenty of others to choose from. There's KateCas, CasKate, Castlette, BeckCas, Beckle, Katsle, Castlekat, Baskett, or my personal favorite, Teksac."

"Teksac?" Esposito asked pretty sure Ryan had gone off the deep end. "What the hell is "Teksac"? That doesn't even make sense Ryan!"

"It's Casket spelled backwards." Ryan said proudly. To his dismay these names were each ill-received by his partner and they continued their argument. Lanie let Ryan mess with Javier a few minutes before finally becoming bored.

"Are they going to be like this through the entire mission?" Alexis asked Lanie, ignoring the wounded faces of her teammates.

"No. Not really. Unfortunately, it'll probably get much worse." Lanie replied patting Alexis on the hand. "But that's why I'm here."

Lanie checked her watch and told them time was up. Esposito and Ryan stopped fighting immediately.

"Fine." Ryan said still messing with Esposito. "It was just a thought. I still think they need a better shipper name, but whatever…"

"The name sticks." Lanie told the boys. "It's the perfect shipper name, just like Esplanie is." She said smiling at Javier. Besides, all of the other ones sucked." she announced with a voice of authority. At this, Esposito smiled smugly for having won the round while Ryan laughed at his friend since he was actually content to leave it at "Caskett" from the beginning.

"Alexis, are you okay with "Caskett?" Lanie asked, to which Alexis gave her two thumbs up. Lanie tossed her a quick wink and Alexis wondered, not for the first time, if everyone who worked at the precinct was slightly nuts. It was becoming clear why her father fit in so well.

"Let's remember we're all here with the same goal in mind." Lanie told them. "To bring Kate and Castle together once and for all." They all nodded and agreed to get down to business.

Lanie had some rules, of course, the first of which being that no suggestion would be considered too cliché, radical, or lame, and even the silliest of ideas should be voiced. What was acted on, however, would be voted on by the team. Lanie would be keeping her Veto power just in case things got out of hand.

They'd be open to all ideas and from there, sift through the craziness to find something that might actually work. The second rule was no one could go off half-cocked on their own. They'd stick together and decide what to do as a group, so there would always be back up if something didn't go as perfectly planned. She'd come up with more rules as they went along. They all agreed, and the newly formed Team Caskett members each put a pen to the paper, signing a declaration to make it official.

Again, Alexis filled them in on the whispering and knowing looks she'd seen, which had been going on between her father and grandmother for months now, and they all agreed Martha did indeed know more than she'd been letting on. The first step was getting Martha on their side. It was pivotal to learn what she knew if the mission was to be successful.

Lanie insisted they be organized, so once they could agree on a plan she would break the team into committees.

Alexis was assigned the daunting task of obtaining her grandmother's blessing and convincing her to join Team Caskett. At this suggestion Alexis became alarmed. They quickly tried to encourage her, saying they had faith in her even though she'd failed previously to get information from her grandmother. They'd all agreed Alexis still had a way better chance of succeeding than the rest of the team. They promised to coach her.

While she appreciated their confidence in her ability and thanked them, she wasn't entirely convinced. She also had something to share with them, they might not be too happy to hear. After the meeting at the lab this morning, she'd taken matters in to her own hands. It seemed like a good idea at the time…

"Now would probably be a good time to mention that Grams is on her way over here." Alexis blurted out to panic stricken faces. "Don't worry - I didn't tell her what it was about, only that I needed her help with something. I asked if she could meet me over here…" Alexis said checking her watch. "Around now. She should be here any minute." They all looked at each other nervously, and then at Alexis, then back to each other. Alexis sensed they didn't fully appreciate her initiative. "I thought you'd all be happy about bringing her in. No time like the present, and all that…"

"Okay." Esposito said. "No harm done. No cause for alarm."

"I'm sure we can convince her to join the cause and spill what she knows." Alexis assured them. "And if we can't, I'm positive she won't rat us out if she decides to stay out of it. She's dramatic, but also very discreet."

"Okay." Lanie said, finding her voice again since the shock of Alexis' little surprise. "We all speak to Martha. She's a reasonable woman who likes our girl Kate." She said looking pointedly at Alexis. "She does like our girl Kate, right? Tell me she loves our girl Kate please."

"Yes. Absolutely…" Alexis said nodding and smiling, relieved she wasn't automatically kicked off the team. "I've heard her say it. I just haven't heard her say it in a while, but...Grams adores Kate! And she wants Dad to be happy, almost as much as I do. We'll just have to convince her, like you convinced me; Kate's as much in love with Dad, as he is with her."

Now that Alexis knew how miserable Kate was over possibly losing her father, she was more determined than ever to see to their happiness. Failing was not an option. She was certain Lanie, Kevin and Ryan, all responsible, sensible adults, could help convince her grandmother to join in their quest. Martha Rogers was just the spark this team needed; unstoppable, once she put her mind to something - a force to be reckoned with.

They all froze at the knock at the door…

Lanie was the first to recover, so she braced herself and went to answer the door. When it opened she expected to find Martha, which she did, however, Martha had company. Lanie's eyes widened. Martha and Madison were already deep in conversation and Martha was shaking her head, looking both confused and horrified. "Woops. I thought you already knew about Team Caskett!" they heard Maddie say.

"Hi. Martha…and I see you've already met Madison. Come on in. The party's just getting started." She said, trying for nonchalant and hostess of the year. Lanie wanted to kick herself. She hadn't yet warned the group she'd put a call into Kate's old friend, and she also hadn't said a word about Martha to Madison over the phone.

When they spoke earlier, Madison had told Lanie she was all in, thrilled and delighted – her words – but also said she wouldn't be able to make it to the first meeting tonight due to a business meeting which was previously scheduled. And yet here she was anyway, chatting up Martha, no less, about the whole damn plan, in the hallway, before they even had a chance to brace the poor woman.

Both ladies entered the room and Maddie greeted everyone animatedly, oblivious to the turmoil she'd just unleashed. With her usual flair, Madison went on to explain how her dinner meeting had been canceled, so she was able to make it after all. Then she introduced herself to Alexis, gave her a big hug, and told her she'd do everything in her power to help bring Kate and her Dad together.

"I for one have some fabulous ideas!" she proclaimed as she grabbed a seat on the couch.

Meanwhile, everyone else waited with bated breath for Martha's reaction.

Martha closed her mouth, took in her surroundings and looked across the room at her granddaughter. "Alexis Castle. What have you got to say for yourself?"

"Surprise?" she said sheepishly. "I wanted to tell you earlier Grams, I really did, but I was afraid you wouldn't come. Please give us a chance to explain. Just hear us out, that's all we're asking. I promise you'll see our side. We have to intervene. They're both miserable. Kate's in love with Dad too Grams."

"It's true Martha." Lanie assured her.

"They need our help." Ryan agreed.

"We have some ideas…" Esposito added.

_Well, I'll be…What to say? What to do? _Martha's internal debate raged on, as she stared down her rascally, pure of heart granddaughter. The kid was more like her side of the family than she knew. This was a tough one. Martha held her son's confidences, which he trusted her not to divulge, although he was aware that had never stopped her in the past. And he'd forgive her if it all turned out okay.

Even though Kate hadn't yet admitted hearing Rick's confession of love when she was shot, Martha still believed Kate had strong feelings for her son. She wasn't sure why Rick couldn't see it. As far as she was concerned they were both acting like children. Martha had always thought Kate was simply too afraid to admit her true feelings. Also, the woman had just been shot when Rick told her he loved her, for god sakes, which would alter anyone's reaction. And although she loved her son, patience was not one of his strong suits. Then again, she'd never seen another woman break her boy's heart like this before. She wouldn't want him to be hurt any further. She'd always secretly hoped they'd get their act together one day; that he'd finally found "the one", but their timing was simply atrocious, and now he's off chasing flight attendants. Maybe they did need a little push in the right direction. Still not sure how much information she would agree to divulge, if any, she looked around at the five sets of puppy dog eyes boring into her and wondered if Kate and Rick knew what good friends they had.

"Okay", she relented looking at her granddaughter's hopeful sweet face, knowing she' eventually lose the battle. "What the hell. I'm in. What have you got?"

"Yes!" air-pumped Alexis, to the relieved smiles of all parties present. "I told you she was cool. So, you're not mad at me then, for getting you here under false pretenses? I'm sorry I wasn't straight with you earlier."

"Oh, kiddo, I'm not mad at you." She said to a beaming Alexis who was now hugging her tightly. "Right or wrong, you're heart's in the right place. Actually, I think I'm more upset at having my entrance upstaged by the cheerleader."

"Okay people, tell me all about "Team Caskett". My what a horrid name, by the way."

"Told you." Ryan said to Esposito who tossed a throw pillow at his head.

"Anyhow," Martha continued. "I'm not sure what it is you think I know, but maybe, just maybe, I can help. After all, who am I to stand in the way of true love. Lord knows those two are getting nowhere fast, on their own." She said as she took a seat on the couch. "Lanie, darling, what have you got to drink – and make it a double..."

To be continued…

More coming up soon. They're going to get into all sorts of trouble and I have a plan to bring Iron Gates on board. I've heard reviews motivate slower writers… I'm just sayin'…


	4. Bending Iron

**Disclaimer: **If they _were_ mine, they'd be doing tequila shooters on a beach in Maui while on their honeymoon.

**A/N: **Thanks for all of the reviews, alerts and favorites. You guys rock! I'll try to write faster!

**Team Caskett**

**Chapter 4**

**Bending Iron**

Victoria "Iron" Gates sat alone inside the office anticipating the arrival of the man who had summoned her. What could he possibly want from her now, which could be important enough to take her away from her busy work schedule? She wasn't aware of any problems at the precinct and there better not be any. If today's unscheduled meeting was about something stupid one of her people did, heads would roll. She had a reputation to uphold for running a tight ship, an untarnished record, and she'd do whatever it took to keep it as such. Gates didn't appreciate surprises, especially, where her department was concerned.

After being kept waiting in the reception area for over twenty minutes, she'd been unceremoniously ushered in by a staff member, and told he'd be with her shortly. Although she normally abhorred tardiness, it wasn't very often she was extended an invitation to _this_ office, so she made a conscious effort to remain patient and poised.

Besides, she told herself, trying to relax, it allowed her time to absorb her surroundings in private. In contrast, her retched office at the twelfth, the size of a postage stamp, was considerably less appealing. This room was more to her liking. The lush, thick carpet, darkly painted walls, massive mahogany desk, and tasteful decorations had been selected with utmost care, by a decorator with impeccable taste and an unlimited budget.

The American flag, photos of famous dignitaries, and artwork were placed strategically around the room to ensure their fullest impact. As long as there wasn't any trouble, she didn't really mind being beckoned here at a moment's notice – this taste of the good life only strengthened her vision. The power emanating from the room was palpable; gave her a thrill. It was where she belonged. And someday, that big chair behind the grand desk would be hers. Her present position as Captain of the twelfth precinct was only a stepping-stone.

She was fighting the urge to give the chair a test run when his greeting rang out, breaking her reverie. Gates jumped to attention at the entrance of her superior.

"Victoria! Sorry to have kept you waiting. My last meeting ran longer than expected; pretty typical around here, I'm afraid." He said, shaking her hand briskly in combination with his politician's smile. If she had a baby with her, he'd be kissing it.

She plastered on a similar expression, the one reserved for higher-ups and mandatory social functions. "It's not a problem, Your Honor. I completely understand. I know how busy you are."

"Please, sit." He says, motioning for her to take a seat in the visitor's chair in front of his desk. "Tell me how it's going over at the twelfth precinct these days. Everyone happy?" he asks, taking a seat in his own chair.

"No complaints, Sir." _Is everyone happy? What does he think I'm running – a summer camp?_

"Great! I've seen the recent numbers, and your solve rate's been climbing. I'm attributing this to your superb leadership skills." He pauses, allowing her to bask in the glory of his praise, before adding solemnly, "I know Roy Montgomery left behind some pretty big shoes to fill Victoria, but I've heard you're doing a fine job - as expected. You've got an excellent team in position, a close-knit group. They really seem to care about one another; have each other's backs. I for one am glad to hear some things haven't changed. This keeps up, I see good things coming your way Captain Gates."

"Thank you, sir. That's kind of you to say. We do our best."

"So, how's my good friend Rick Castle? I haven't seen him in awhile. He's still shadowing Detective Beckett, right?"

"Yes Sir. He's still around. Not as much lately, I've noticed, but he still shows up when the mood strikes."

"He's quite something, huh." He said, practically laughing, knowing damn well, Gates is not Castle's number one fan. But still, it's good to be the Mayor, so he goes on. "I've never met anyone else like him."

"Yes, Sir, he's… one of a kind." _This would be the understatement of the year._

"If he hadn't become a successful writer, he would have made an excellent cop. Maybe you could convince him to change careers full-time?" he asked smiling. He was shocked she hadn't fallen off her chair at his suggestion. The Mayor was having fun playing with her; it was really breaking up his day. Gates was always so serious. The woman really needed to lighten up.

"He's one hell of a writer!" He said changing the subject. He didn't want her to pass out on him. "Have you read any of his books?"

"No, Sir. I prefer non-fiction." She lied quickly, with a straight face. In reality, she's read the entire Nikki Heat series. The first one, after she met him, purely out of idle curiosity, and the remaining books because she convinced herself it was her responsibility to know what was being written about her precinct. Anyway, that's her story and she's sticking to it. She could understand how some might perceive Castle as mildly talented. _Oh, crap, the nut's growing on me – must be time for a vacation day. _

"Oh, well, you really should read them. They're fantastic!" he said. "So, Victoria you're probably wondering why I asked you here today. It concerns Beckett and Castle actually, and his daughter, Alexis - sweet kid. Rick's done a fine job raising her all on his own. He's not as wild as the press makes him out to be, you know."

"I haven't forgotten the work he, Detective Beckett, and her squad did on the Laura Cambridge murder case in January. I learned a valuable lesson from that mess, Victoria. Know your people. Spend time with them. Let them get to know you. Learn what drives them and makes them tick. Keep them happy. Because when your team is happy, they'll remain loyal to you and work even harder. If I had taken my own advice with Jordan Norris, who knows, maybe I could have prevented some of what happened. But please forgive me, I didn't mean to be morose."

_She was trying to remember if she had any Tylenol in her purse; he was giving her a headache. Spend time with them? Let them get to know you? What the hell is his angle? _Gates decided nodding in silence was the best way for her to refrain from telling the Mayor of New York City he was off his rocker.

"You know, it's interesting…" he said. "Beckett reminds me a little of you." This got her attention and she raised an eyebrow at the statement. He was changing the subject so fast, her head was spinning. "You're both tough, by the book, survivors. She's one to watch; you're lucky to have her."

"Yes Sir, she's an excellent detective. And, you have a point about Castle..." She said taking a deep breath, bracing herself for the pain her next words would cause the ulcer forming in her stomach. "I suppose Sir, this would be my queue to admit that while I was initially hesitant about having Castle as part of my department, I may have jumped to conclusions about his level of ability. I did feel at first it was, shall we say – unorthodox - to allow a civilian "writer" to be partnered with a trained detective. I can admit, now, after seeing them in action, they do make a surprisingly formidable team. Castle's proven to be, on occasion, dare I say…an asset to the department." _I may have just thrown up a little in my mouth. Focus, Victoria, your boss is staring at you. _"It still concerns me somewhat; his lack of proper academy training Sir, but the lawyers have assured me he's signed a detailed, legal waiver." _I should know, I've read it twice, with two different lawyers._

"Yes, I agree." He said, skipping over the waiver comment. "They are a formidable team. If only there was something we could do for him in return, for all the support he's given us over the past few years."

"Yes sir."

They were interrupted by his secretary, on the intercom with a reminder his next meeting was in fifteen minutes. He glanced at his watch and realized he had to wrap this up.

"Speaking of teams…I got a call today from Alexis Castle. Victoria, there's something I'm going to need you to do for me…"

From beyond the closed doors of the Mayor's office, Janice, his secretary spilled her coffee after jumping at the sounds of the not so docile tones of Captain Victoria Gates yelling at her boss. It wasn't something Janice heard every day, so she hit the intercom button to listen in. She didn't know what they were talking about, but Gates was in an uproar. The last thing she heard before dialing out for security was…

"You want me to do _what!_"…

_**A/N:**__ To be continued… warned you this would be a long one. Some of you wondered how I would get Gates on board. I hope I did it justice. I was aiming for silly to somewhat plausible. Lots of crazy antics to follow, currently swimming around in my head, but let me know if there are any stunts you would like to see pulled. I already know what he asks Gates to do, but first, there will be more from the peanut gallery. Eventually, some old friends will also be heard from. Maybe even an original character I miss from a different story of mine. I know how this ends too, and it's going to be a doozy. (Unless, of course, it's already been done by one of the over 8,700+ Castle stories on this site, which it probably has. It ain't easy being original on this site.;-)) Thanks for reading and please review! Karen_


	5. A Special Gift Between Friends Part 1

Disclaimer: These characters are not mine, although I spend more time with them than my actual family.

A/N: Sorry it took me a little longer, but you get two new chapters, instead of one. Thanks for reading!

Team Caskett

Chapter 5

_A Special Gift Between Friends_

As proud members of Team Caskett, Golden Eagle (Madison) and Autumn Heart (Alexis) met to arrange a few surprises for Kate. Satisfied with what they came up with, when the job was done they went their separate ways. As Madison walked home from her lunch with Alexis, she gave it some more thought. What they'd planned was good, but she would have preferred it have a little more… pizzazz, something a little less "vanilla". She felt they could do better. She looked up at the store front before her and smiled widely. Ask, and you shall receive. Madison left the shop feeling fairly pleased with herself. If this didn't get a reaction and get things moving, she didn't know what would.

Kate sat at her desk unable to focus on work. It all started yesterday when she arrived at the precinct to find a single long-stem red rose left on her desk - no note. Her first thought was Castle left it for her, but since he'd been in a "mood" for a couple of weeks now, and acting completely indifferent towards her, she considered it could be from someone else. It appeared she might have a secret admirer.

Still, she held out hope it was from Castle. Maybe it was a sign he was coming out of the funk he'd been in for weeks, all evidence to the contrary. He'd shown up a couple of days this week, still acting as though he was mad at her. He would kid around with the boys, but with Kate; it was all business. His attitude continued to drive her insane, and when she called him on it again, he insisted everything was fine. She wondered if he was still dating the flight attendant, what's-her-face. Maybe there was trouble in paradise, although she hadn't seen him parading any new bimbos around lately.

The rose could be his way of apologizing for his behavior. She planned to ask him about it, and if he admitted it was from him, thank him, and convince him to finally talk it out with her. They needed to clear the air. She'd almost called him up yesterday, but a phone call seemed too impersonal; this had to be done in person. He was expected at the precinct the next day, so she'd wait and talk to him then. She held the rose, savored its sweet scent, and smiled– the perfect gift. He could be so thoughtful when he wanted.

However, that was yesterday. And as she glanced back at her desk now, the smile ran away from her face.

Today, she's pretty sure he's lost his mind.

Since this morning, the gifts were arriving in droves. Kate literally had no room on her desk to put down the files she was clutching. First she received a bouquet of wildflowers, and balloons. These were followed by gift baskets filled with gummy bears, flavored bags of coffees and chocolates. An hour later more deliveries; another vase of flowers, little stuffed animals; bunnies, elephants, kittens and puppies, not to mention a gigantic stuffed teddy bear which was so huge it barely fit in Castle's chair. Her co-workers were all whispering and staring at her, and she wanted nothing more than to dig a hole and hop in. The packages, all sent anonymously, were delivered by messengers who denied knowing the sender, despite the big tips Kate gave them hoping to make them talk.

Kate Beckett was without a doubt the number one topic of conversation at the precinct right now, which she loathed. She spent most of the morning and early afternoon pretending not to notice.

It's in her nature to solve a mystery, so in between work, she did her best to try and solve this one. Nothing was traceable with the exception of one item. Turns out, one of the bouquets of flowers was purchased by, none other than; you guessed it, Richard Castle. He'd paid for it on his credit card last night. This information she kept to herself; she was still processing it.

While she was thrilled he must have decided to forgive her for whatever sin she'd committed and appreciated the sentiment, she could kill him for being so over the top. And why on Earth would he send everything to the precinct instead of her apartment? She'll never forget her shock as the elevator doors opened. The entire floor stopped working to watch the delivery people parade across the room towards her, gifts in hand. Then they piled them up on her desk. It was so embarrassing, which, knowing him, was exactly what he was aiming for. He had a strange sense of humor. The rumor mill had to be on fire and it was only a matter of time before she got called into Gates' office. Thankfully, Gates had an appointment with the Mayor this morning so she wasn't around to witness the actual deliveries.

The boys teased her relentlessly about having a secret admirer, until around the time the third round of deliveries arrived. Then she caught them shooting each other looks and whispering; they were positively horrified for her. And even though she now had confirmation the gifts were from Castle, she didn't dare tell them what she'd unearthed. She'd never hear the end of it. When Castle came in she'd take him aside and explain the gifts were unnecessary. All she wanted was for him to tell her what she'd done wrong, so she could fix it and they could go back to the way things were. She vowed to make things right. Deep down, she knew she wanted more from him, a lot more, but he'd made it clear he was dating again. He'd moved on – with the blonde bimbo. She needed to accept it.

She'd waited too long, she realizes this now, but he is her best friend and she misses him so she'll settle for whatever he will give her. Her therapy sessions unfortunately hadn't moved fast enough, the clock had run out, and he'd given up waiting. He wanted fun and uncomplicated, and she was anything but. The gifts he sent were probably only meant to salvage their friendship. He must be done punishing her for whatever it was she did. She'd get over him eventually and have to start dating too. She thought about maybe getting a cat or a dog. They're supposed to make great companions and then she wouldn't need to date at all.

More than a few people wished her Happy Birthday, which it wasn't, but after a while she just replied "Thanks" so she didn't have to explain anything further.

She sat at her desk and stared at the mountain of gifts in wonder. It looked a bit ridiculous. As it was, she would have to rent a truck to get the stuff from the precinct over to her apartment. She prayed this was the end of them. Exasperated, she let out a sigh, grabbed her coffee mug and took off to the break room for a refill.

Kate refilled her coffee and leaned against the counter for a minute, trying to clear her head. She thought about her call from Martha the night before. Nope, it wasn't her birthday, but oddly enough Rick's had just passed. And last night Martha had asked if she'd mind helping them plan an impromptu belated surprise birthday party for Rick this weekend. She and Alexis thought he'd never suspect a birthday party at this late date.

They were hosting it Friday night at his bar, The Old Haunt. They wanted Kate to pick up the cake. How could she refuse? Besides with things as rocky as they are between her and Castle, it might go a long way in his book, pun intended, if she did something nice for him. Of course, she told Martha she'd be happy to help. She sipped her coffee, and pondered what gift to get him, but couldn't come up with a thing. What _do_ you get a guy who tells you he loves you, but then takes it back?

When he entered the precinct, Castle overheard the officers downstairs at the front desk laughing and discussing Beckett. It seems she's been the recipient of anonymous gifts all day long. Their conversation came to a screeching halt when they recognized him. The officer hesitated before asking Rick to deliver yet another one, left at the desk for her. Their pity penetrated his bones, but he took the package anyway and headed to the elevator. He might as well get used to her being pursued by other guys.

So, she's got a secret admirer. Fan-fucking-tastic. Apparently, he's not the only one with an unhealthy addiction to Kate Beckett. And who the hell is this yo-yo, who doesn't even have the common courtesy to wait till his body is cold before moving in on Beckett? What a prick. Not even out of the picture five minutes, and already they're lining up to take his place.

Castle steps off the elevator, and stops in his tracks. He needs a moment to prepare himself. His eyes automatically search her out and he braces himself for the worst when he spots her across the room. To his chagrin, the first time setting eyes on her each day, wasn't getting any easier. He always needs a little extra time to adjust the invisible armor he'd falsely believed was in place.

And there she is his muse, the woman he loves, but will get over. He can barely make out the top of her head, through the florist on her desk, but it's enough, and he finds himself tensing up. A couple of beats more and his stomach muscles finally begin to relax. He reminds himself to breathe. Even with her face mostly obstructed from his view, through all the damn flowers, his traitorous heart still skips a beat. There are more than a few kinks in his armor, he admits. And it aggravates him, no end, to know his heart's been flipping at the site of her since the day they met.

He plasters on a fake smile and his best "I could care less face", and makes his way towards her. Without seeing him, she pops up, heads off to the break room, coffee mug in hand, presumably going for a refill. She looks a bit agitated which is odd, since he'd think she'd be happy with all the attention she's been getting lately.

He watches as she marches away, and laughs grimly at his own twisted metaphor. He reminds himself to stay strong…nope, still hot…his beautiful drug of choice. For he is a sick, sick man, a glutton for punishment, he keeps coming back for more. He heads over to her desk and stares in disgust at the massive garden. Are those wildflowers? He figures her more the roses' type. Then he sees it…a thirty pound over-stuffed rodent with an enormous pink bow, holding a "Be Mine" sign. How cliché. And to add insult to injury, the damn thing's sitting in his chair. Fucking Bear.

He's visualizing throwing the bear down the elevator shaft to a certain death, when he looks up and notices the boys watching him. It appears they've been speaking to him.

"Huh?"

Ryan and Esposito give each other a look. And he can see it in their beady little eyes. They're preparing to torture him about Beckett's secret admirer. They've been waiting for him all day. _Armor's in place boys._ _Let the games begin._

"We said, "Hey Castle." Repeated Ryan, with a smirk. "Where were you just now?"

"I'm right in front of you boys." He says seriously. "Why? Am I invisible again?" he asks before grinning.

"Okay, just checking. You seemed to have spaced out a bit there Buddy." Ryan said looking curiously at the box Castle was holding. It was show-time folks. He and Esposito, code names Beacon and Romeo, respectively, were ready to implement the "make Castle jealous" plan. They had no idea why the Gift Committee (Alexis and Madison) had gone overboard, and had so many gifts sent to Beckett all at once. The deliveries were supposed to be spaced out through the end of the week. Oh, well. They were still sticking with the plan…

"Espo and I are grabbing a beer and a burger later at Remy's. You want in?"

"Tonight? Yeah, sure, sounds good." Rick replied, slightly distracted, taking in all the crap on her desk. And they say he does things over the top. It certainly was an attention getter. Damn. There it is one long-stem red rose. She probably liked that gift the best. Crap. "What gives?" he asks Ryan, who is shaking his head. "I didn't forget her birthday, right?" he asks playing dumb.

"Someone's got a secret admirer." Esposito tells him. They're both waiting for his reaction.

"Humph." He replies, and notices they look happy so he follows with... "Cool! A little cliché, but still cool. Bet she's been trying to figure out who it is all day." Aw, now they look sad. What did they expect? That he would cry? Or throw a fit in a jealous rage? Not his style. He'll save those for private time.

"What's with the box?" Esposito asked, nodding to it.

"Another present I presume from her secret admirer. Sorry boys – there are no markings on the box – not a clue. It was left at the front desk. And the boys downstairs didn't say who delivered it."

Before she comes back, he figures it couldn't hurt to ask, so he takes a stab at "nonchalant". "So, do you guys have any idea who this bozo is? Just curious."

"Nope, no idea." Ryan says, checking to see that Becket's out of earshot. "And neither does Beckett. Although, come to think of it, there was that new guy talking her up. He started a couple weeks back, over in Vice. Espo what's that guy's name again? Tall guy, around six-four, dark hair, probably in his late thirties."

"Oh, yeah, I think it was Paul something." Esposito said. "It could be him. He seemed like a nice enough guy."

Castle was about to ask them more questions, but just then Kate walked back into the room, coffee in hand. They both froze and stared, unable to take their eyes off each other.

"Hey." She greeted him. She wondered if he had any idea what dirty thoughts run through her head when he looks at her like that. From the top of his head to the tips of his shoes, he looked positively yummy. If only he could read her mind, they would have landed in bed together years ago. She wishes she could be a free spirit and go after what she wants. Then again, what's-her-face might not approve. Oh, yeah…the blonde. Damn. Talk to your friend Castle, Kate, the one who sent you gifts to fix your friendship. We're friends, just friends, she chants internally, forcing her eyes from his.

"Hey." He shot back wondering when he became so eloquent. How does she do that? She has him stumped in only one syllable. No matter how hard he tries to tell himself he's over her, he knows it's a lie. But she doesn't feel the same way, says the voice in his head. _Armor-up._

"Nice Bear." He says nodding to it, fairly sure the bear is mocking him. He imagines ripping it limb to limb, leaving her only a dead animal carcass. "Boys tell me you have a secret admirer."

"Oh, not so secret. I may have a lead on that." She says questioning him with her eyes. He looks confused. He's not going to make this easy for her. She should have known. And when he doesn't give anything away, she dips her head, blushing and pushes a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"So you know who he is then?" he asks. She does, and it's making her blush. Fucking Paul from Vice. And why do they always have to be so damn tall?

"That for me?" she asks changing the subject and pointing to the box he's holding. She's surprised he's hand-delivering this one, and in front of the boys yet.

"Yeah. Guys downstairs asked me to bring it to you. It was left at the front desk." He says handing her the box. He watches as she places it on her desk on top of a box of chocolates. She's not opening it. She's just standing there staring at it. Maybe she wants privacy or something.

"Aren't you going to open it? It's probably from your not-so-secret admirer." The suspense is killing him. Since he was a kid, he hates looking at unopened gift boxes. They make him crazy. He always wants to rip them open so he can find out what's inside. He has to empty out the whole box of Crackerjacks, just to get the prize out first, then put the whole thing back in so he can eat it. Of course, there's also his morbid curiosity wanting to know what new, inane gift this yahoo, who thinks he knows her, sent.

"Do you want me to open it?" she replies with a tilt to her head. She's looking at him funny and he's not sure what the problem is. He can usually read her. Maybe she's had too much chocolate.

"Sure. I mean, if you want to."

There were a few people that had taken notice around her work area, and they all watched nosily as she started to open it. She shakes the box first. It was big, but it didn't weigh too much. It's a plain, unmarked, brown box, with dimensions about the size of a ten pound sack of potatoes. She takes a scissor and cuts open the flaps. Smiling, she pulls out the excess packaging paper, and then the item inside which is wrapped completely up in tissue paper. She unravels the tissue paper, revealing her gift for all to see... and screams bloody murder.

"Oh, my God, Castle! How could you?" She yells at him, shocked. "What the hell is wrong with you?" He's never seen her madder. Her eyes are bugging out of her head, smoke's coming out of her ears, and he wonders if the poor bastard who sent it to her has his passport updated. He's glad he's not "that guy". She realizes she's swinging it around and then stops and stares at it as though she's considering using it as a weapon. And it looks like it would hurt – a lot.

As a matter of fact, Castle, Esposito, and Ryan come closer to stare at it, they can't help it – it's huge. No one's that big. The three of them, are completely speechless.

She does want to hit them with it. "If you three are done comparing and contrasting…" Her audience scatters like bugs when the lights come on, except for Castle. The thing has him mesmerized.

"You're going to need a medical emergency team standing by." Castle can't help himself and suddenly bursts out laughing. If possible, this seems to make her even madder.

She starts ranting like a banshee. "Of all the juvenile, moronic, you think this is funny, asinine …." Kate's going on and on, still fuming. She's cursing up a storm. He thinks he may have even heard the "F" bomb go off with his name mixed in there somewhere.

Wait a minute; did she just say "Castle"? She thinks I sent this to her? "Beckett, I had nothing to do with this!" He tries to defend himself, while at the same time trying not to laugh. His hands instinctively go out in front of him for protection, like she's about to put him under arrest or shoot him.

"Holy Shit." Esposito says from behind Castle. This is bad.

Rick overhears Esposito and turns to both of his friends for support. They are no help what-so-ever. Ryan's doing the best impression of a fish he's ever seen. Rick watches, helpless, as Esposito pulls Ryan by the arm, out and away from the line of fire, leaving Castle to fend for himself. Esposito and Ryan are both instantly on their cell phones.

Now? Now, they need to make a phone call? Can't it wait? Holy crap! Beckett's still going off. He thinks he hears one of them say "Code Blue". He starts to panic, and his forehead is sweating, as she makes her way slowly around the desk, inching towards him with the giant dildo still gripped in her hand. He tries to back away from her.

He's trying so hard (wrong choice of words?) not to be turned on by the site of her coming at him, gripping the most enormous, purple (her favorite color, how nice) vibrator he's ever seen, but it isn't easy. From the big, bold black lettering written on the side of it, it's clearly named "Rigid Ricky" to boot. Dildo's have names? Who knew?

Uh, oh. From the look on her face, he may have said that last part out loud. He tries to look as innocent as possible, which he is damnit.

"Oh, don't you act like this is the first time you've ever seen it! "Rigid Ricky" Rick? Really? Why am I not surprised this thing's as big as your ego? I'm surprised you didn't autograph it." she says angrily.

"Beckett, listen to me." He tries to tell her calmly. "I. Did. Not. Do. This. You have to believe me."

"Is this your idea of a joke Castle? Everyone knows how much you like a good practical joke. And I know you're mad at me, but this is low even for you." Those were her last words to him, before she threw the massive purple vibrator down on her desk, as though she'd been burned by it, then turned and stormed off in the direction of the break room.

This action was unfortunate, because whoever sent the vibrator to his partner saw fit to also install batteries. To their horror, Rick and the boys and other's on the floor, watched as "Rigid Ricky" jolted to life and literally went nuts, vibrating itself across the desk, with unimaginable power, knocking over candy, a couple of stuffed elephants, her cup of coffee, and the glass vase holding the rose. Everything crashed to the ground.

Its path of destruction continued to the floor where Rick was able to make a jump for it as it bounced around. "I've got it!" he cried from the ground, holding it up victoriously. He struggled with the controls for a couple of minutes before finally figuring out how to turn it off.

"Go after her Castle." Ryan said calmly as he helped Castle to his feet. He looked him directly in the eyes. "Explain to her that this is NOT your fault." He said forcing the vibrator from Castle's clenched fist.

"You guys believe me, then?" he said gratefully.

"Of course we do. You would never do this. We know how you really feel about her. Now go!" Esposito agreed.

Castle thought about giving them the same old spiel he usually spouted, about how he and Kate were just friends, but then he realized now was not the time. And they wouldn't believe him anyway. He nodded and took off towards the break room after her.

"That was possibly the most horrific thing I've ever seen." Ryan said quietly as he stared after Castle. He turned to Espo who was busy picking up the damaged gifts and broken glass from the floor. "Golden Eagle is _so_ off the Gift Committee." He declared.

"Gee, you think? What the hell is wrong with that chick anyhow?" Esposito asked.

"She's out of her mind. Nice. Just a little out of her mind." Ryan told him stuffing the colossal dildo back into the box and shoving it in his empty desk drawer. "Lanie's going to kill us."

"I left her a message, but _this_ was not our fault. Remember that. Madison's taking the fall for this one because I'm pretty sure we can rule out Alexis."

"Yeah, but we probably should have taken the unmarked, brown box away from Castle when we had the chance Javier. Won't that be what Lanie will say?"

"Shit. You're right. Raven Compass is going to kick both our asses." He continues to pick up the pieces on the ground while muttering Spanish curses under his breath.

Like it? Hate it? Constructive criticism always welcome! Chapter 6 follows…


	6. A Special Gift Between Friends Part 2

Disclaimer: These characters are not mine, although I spend more time with them than my actual family.

A/N: Sorry it took me a little longer, but you get two new chapters, instead of one. I posted chapters 5 & 6 at the same time, so please read that one first. Thanks for reading!

Team Caskett

Chapter 6

_A Special Gift Between Friends, Part 2_

The door to the break room was closed, but he could see her through the blinds, pacing back and forth, fists clenched, lips pursed. She was muttering under her breath what he could only imagine were some rather colorful and misguided assumptions regarding his character. Part of him thought maybe now would be a good time to go home, give her a chance to calm down, Game of Thrones was on later - he could make popcorn.

But then he gets a good look at her face. And if he didn't know any better, he'd swear she was close to tears. And over a practical joke, no less. One he didn't even have anything to do with. He knows he can't leave it like this.

He turns the knob, and enters the room cautiously. It doesn't have a lock, but he makes sure to close it again behind him. If they're going to have it out, he doesn't want any interruptions. He faces her and finds himself the target of a Beckett Death Ray. It's the same long, hard, cold look he's seen her use on murder suspects and door-to-door salesmen. He maintains eye contact despite the fact she possesses the ability to scare the hell out of him.

"Hear me out..." He tells her calmly. "… This was not my doing."

"How can you stand there and say that to my face? The flowers, the candy, the bear? It was all planned; hook me with a false sense of security, then let me open that gigantic, purple monstrosity in front of everyone. And I had to go and freaking whip it out too." She says loudly, making a sweeping oversized air circle with her arm. She hides her face with both hands as she paces the room. "They're never going to let me live this down."

He watches her and feels bad she can't just laugh it off, because most guys would. But she's often expressed it's harder for a woman in her position to be taken seriously. This incident probably hasn't helped her street-cred any. He attempts to make light of it, cheer her up, make her laugh. "That's nothing…you should see what you missed. I just threw myself on a foot-long, gyrating vibrator for you."

"What?" she stops pacing to glare at him.

Death Ray! Incoming! Avert! Avert! "Nothing?" He responds quietly. _Note to self: ex-nay on the aughing-lay._

"So… how 'bout that…you've got a pretty crazy-ass, demented secret admirer, huh?" he says. "That sucks." He's really not sure why he can't stop talking. This is obviously not the time for small talk.

Her mouth hangs open; he leaves her at a loss for words. She wants so badly to yell at him, and possibly throw something – at his head. "Stop it Castle! I know it was you alright. Just stop lying." She yelled, noticing that got his full attention.

And – snap – he's suddenly had enough. She'd just called him a liar. Classic. He would have preferred she'd slapped him, or thrown something at his head. Now he's pissed. She's acting ridiculous. "Look at me Kate." He says working to contain his anger. She needs to get out of there, and starts heading for the door. He reaches out to stop her, firmly grabbing hold of her arm. The minute he touches her, she freezes, they both do. He can't remember the last time he'd touched her. He feels her shiver and he tries not to focus on it. He swallows hard on his next words. "I'm not lying to you."

Yeah, he's a hypocrite. He knows it. He has been keeping secrets from her, but with good reason. And he'll keep on doing it too, if it'll keep her safe. But this is different. This is someone's idea of a stupid prank. He's not taking the blame. He did nothing wrong.

"If I were going to play a practical joke on you Kate, it would be something harmless; I'd never do anything to hurt you intentionally." She, on the other hand, has been lying since she woke up in the hospital, which he's seconds away from throwing in her face.

Her eyes narrow. He can tell she's considering his innocence, but then she pulls away from him, both arms firmly crossed in front of her. He thinks, perhaps, she might not want to talk to him right now, but decides that's too bad.

"Admit you believe me."

"How can I do that Castle when the evidence proves otherwise?"

"Evidence? What evidence?"

"The flowers. I traced back one of the purchases to a local florist and low and behold, your credit card paid for it. How much more proof do I need? Did you really think I wouldn't figure it out? I'm a detective for god sakes!"

"My credit card? There has to be some kind of mistake." He pulls out his wallet and looks through it quickly. He notices one of his cards is missing and starts to panic. He's can't remember the last time he used it.

She's watches him rummage through his wallet, double-checking his cards. He's putting on quite a show. Either he's a great actor or he's telling the truth. Still, she can't help but be suspicious.

"There's one missing." He says aloud, which gets her attention. She wants so badly to believe this isn't his fault, but the evidence is pretty incriminating. And he's been so mad at her – for weeks now. She looks into his eyes and her instincts tell her to believe him. He's telling the truth.

She instantly goes into detective mode. She has to look at the big picture. What if it's all part of some sick elaborate plan? Maybe she really does have a secret admirer. What if they got hold of his credit card? Maybe it's someone she once arrested - someone who wants to mess with her. It is possible someone could have swiped his card to set him up.

"Okay Castle, let's say I believe you…someone stole your credit card." She hears him mutter "Yes!" under his breath. "Why send me presents? Who would want to do that?

"Paul." he says automatically.

"Paul? Paul who?" She must have heard him wrong.

"Paul. From Vice, tall guy, dark hair." He envisions Vice-boy clutching the fucking bear as he pushes them both down the elevator shaft. Her brows are furrowed, he can tell she thinks he's nuts. Might as well go for broke. He starts spouting his theory. "He's secretly in love with you, has read all the Nikki Heat books, and wants me out of the picture so he can have you all to himself." He briefly wonders if she'd let him roll the murder board into the break room with them till they can crack this baby.

She vaguely recalls Paul from Vice. Totally not her type. Isn't he gay? She's about to ask him how he even knows Paul when he goes all writer on her. She knows she's lost him; it's story time in Castle land. She doesn't bother trying to stop him. For the hell of it, she rolls her eyes and sighs.

He ignores her and begins to weaves his tale anyway…

"Paul's had a hard life. Never had any real friends. The girls at school, they all laughed at him. He's a loner, longing to escape his meager existence. He always wanted to be a writer, but, unfortunately, he's a bad one. His stuff is… uninspired. With all that free time on his hands, he's pretty well read. Knows all my stuff." She rolls her eyes. "Figures all he'll need is the right muse and then he'll be set; he can finally write the next great American novel. But he has to make a living, so he enters the police academy, becomes a cop. Not a lot of people laugh at cops; he's finally being taken seriously. Then he reads the Nikki Heat series – hears you work right here at the twelfth. He's infatuated with you, becomes obsessed. Then one day he arranges to meet you, the real, honest to God, Nikki Heat, and the minute he sees you he falls instantly in love. He realizes you're just what he needs… Oh my God! He's trying to steal my muse!"

She's shaking her head but smiling. "Castle, you've seriously lost it." She tells him before dropping the smile. "And what have I told you about calling me your muse?"

"That you're honored and humbled?"

"Think again."

"Privileged and pleased?"

"Not so much."

"Flattered and fortunate?"

She lets out a heavy sigh for good show. He drives her crazy, but at least they're talking to each other. Maybe there's hope for them yet. Or at the very least maybe she's getting her best friend back. He's so damn cute, she wishes she had the nerve to plant one on him.

He suppresses the need to tweet his happiness. And the way she's looking at him right now, he wants to kiss her. This is the most he's said to her in weeks. And it feels right, normal. He's missed her, and he's so tired of hurting. Maybe he was wrong, maybe there is hope for them. He studies her as she bites her bottom lip and wonders what the hell is going on in her pretty little head.

"So, you're not leaving me for Paul then?"

"I told you Castle. I'm a one-writer girl."

They're startled by a soft knock at the door and break eye-contact. They'd both forgotten they were still at work.

"Come in." Kate says.

Esposito opens it slightly sticks his head in. Assessing the damage, he looks around quickly, and then to Castle. Happy there are no signs of bloodshed, he tells them Gates is back and asking for Kate. She thanks him, says she'll be right there, and he makes his escape.

"So, uh, we'd better get back." He says.

"Yeah. You should probably go call your credit card company." She wants to say more, this is the bravest she's ever felt around him. She wants to ask him straight out, why he's been so mad at her for the past few weeks, but Iron Gates is waiting for her. Time to face the music, explain the pile of crap on her desk. This should be fun.

"Yeah. I should probably call them and cancel the card." He replies. He's got more to say, knows they need to keep talking, but it's neither the time nor place. "We'll figure out who's behind this Kate, but until then be careful."

"I promise you Castle, my eyes are wide open these days." She hesitates a moment, this isn't easy for her. "I'm sorry for before, for accusing you..."

"It's okay. I can understand how you might think it was me. " And it hits him out of nowhere…maybe she wanted him to be her secret admirer, before Rigid Ricky, that is. Humph. Interesting.

"No, it's not okay. I know you'd never intentionally hurt me. I should have known better."

It's reassuring to hear those words aloud. Maybe it's time he come clean about her mother's case. Maybe she could understand his motives.

He moves to the door and holds it open for her.

"After you." She says, locking eyes with him, not moving.

It clicks, what she's offering; she wants him to take the lead, and she'll follow him for a change. He accepts and passes through, but waits for her on the other side.

"So Beckett….I was wondering…" He says playfully, looking down at his shoes.

"No, Castle."

His head pops up. "You don't even know what I'm going to say." He whines.

She stops walking, and turns to face him. Smirking, she invades his personal space, coming as close as decently possible. He can smell her perfume. He can't think straight. "No." She whispers, her breath tingling his chin. "You cannot play with my big purple vibrator."

She continues to amaze him. "How did you know what I was going to ask?"

She steps back and like a magnet, he follows. How the hell does he stay away from this woman? Resistance is futile.

A/N: They still have a lot of secrets to reveal and a team of good-hearted misfits bent on making it happen. Next up… Castle's Belated Birthday Bash and after that, some Iron Gates! I need a code name for Gates if anybody has any ideas. Hope you enjoyed it and I'd love a review.


	7. Damage Control

_Disclaimer: Not mine, but after that amazing finale, they're all I can think about. Spoilers below are plentiful; from 47 Seconds to the finale. Thanks for reading!_

Team Caskett

Chapter 7

Damage Control, Part 1

Gates headed to her office at a hurried pace anxious for privacy, peace and quiet. After her meeting with the Mayor this morning, she was definitely fighting a migraine. The Tylenol wasn't helping and she wished, not for the first time, that she kept a flask in her desk. She could not believe what she'd just been made to agree to. She knew she should have stayed in bed today with her husband instead of coming to work.

On the bright side, at least the Mayor didn't have security haul her away; could have been worse. She talked herself out of that one, for sure, however, she's vowed if she's still in this position after more than a year, she'll hunt that man down like small game and mount his head on her living room wall.

She came upon Detectives Esposito and Ryan who were sitting at their desks, heads together, chatting like a couple of school girls hanging at their lockers. They were definitely up to something, and it wasn't work related. She was about to call this to their attention, when something caught her eye in her peripheral vision. She came to a sudden halt and took in the site before her.

Detective Kate Beckett was nowhere to be found, however her desk was piled high with enough crap to have easily filled a hospital gift shop. If this was their idea of subtle than this "Team Beckett" nonsense might be over quicker than anticipated. This cheered her up immensely.

Javier spotted Gates, nudged Ryan, and they both jumped to attention.

"Afternoon Sir" they both said simultaneously, thankful the yelling had since died down from the confines of the break room walls. The only thing that could make matters worse would be for Gates to hear Beckett and Castle in the middle of a screaming match.

"What's going on here?" she asked them straight out, pointing to Beckett's desk. They tried to look natural, but failed miserably. She loved making them squirm; considered it a job perk. "What on earth is all that?" she asked them. "And where is Detective Beckett? Or is she buried alive under all that crap?"

They looked between them, not quite sure of the appropriate response. Esposito spoke first. "Detective Beckett received some unanticipated deliveries today Sir." He said, trying not to flinch as Gates stared him down. He's had Drill Sergeants less scary.

Not about to let his partner take the heat alone, Ryan interjected. "Detective Beckett ran down to records Sir. Said she'll be right back." They needed to stall for more time since Castle and Beckett were still hashing it out.

"Well, when she gets back, tell her I want to see her in my office."

"Yes, Sir."

"Absolutely."

She was the mother of two. Who did they think they were fooling? She didn't like that they were hiding something, but at the same time, could appreciate their loyalty to their boss. She gave them one of her trademark stares before retreating to the solitude of her office. It was going to be a long day.

Kate came out of the break room with Castle following closely behind her. He was quiet, but looked like he'd live to see another day. Kate, on the other hand, looked pleased with herself, leaving the boys hoping maybe they'd worked out their issues.

Kate headed straight to Gates' office, closing the door behind her.

"Everything okay?" Ryan asked Castle.

Castle picked up the stuffed bear from his chair, plopped down in his seat, clutching the bear on his lap. He seemed confused. "Yeah, but it was a pretty close call there for awhile." He said resting his chin on the bear's head. He looked exhausted, like a man who'd just escaped a near death situation. The boys went back to work, leaving Castle deep in thought, still hugging his bear.

"Sir, you wanted to see me?" Kate asked, standing before her boss, waiting for the bomb to drop. What came next would not be pleasant. Gates had either seen her desk or heard her and Castle arguing.

Gates sat at her desk tapping a pencil between her fingers rapidly. The mayor was out of his mind asking her to do this. She finally understood why Roy was always talking about retiring. She was deciding how best to handle the two of them when she finally addressed Kate.

"Is Mr. Castle here?" she asked.

"Yes, actually he is."

"Get him in here too. What I have to say concerns him as well."

Kate nervously opened the door and called out to Castle telling him the Captain wanted to see him. He first pointed to the bear, Kate shook her head no, then he pointed to himself, and mouthed "Me?" She nodded at him, eyes wide. He didn't look thrilled about being called in to the lion's den, so Kate glared at him to get his ass in there, leaving him no real choice.

She quickly plastered back on a neutral expression and returned to stand in front of Gates. He entered and stood beside Kate attempting to present a united front. Kate was glad he at least remembered to put down his teddy bear before joining them. Gates had to hand it to Beckett; her face showed no sign of alarm, unlike her partner which was a different story. He was fidgeting like a ten year old.

"You wanted to see me Captain?" Castle asked.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lanie had listened to her voicemail repeatedly. Javier's "Caskett, code blue. Cease and desist, code blue!" urgent message had sent her into a tailspin. She was going to kill him. He'd made it sound like they were under fire, but left her no details. She'd no idea what could have possibly gone wrong; it had all been perfectly planned out.

Alexis had reported back yesterday on the gifts scheduled for delivery, and the party plans were well underway. The mysterious gifts were only supposed to make Castle a little jealous; even the playing sides a bit. Everyone agreed he'd be competitive over another man showing interest in Kate. It was supposed to push them closer together.

Lanie got there as fast as she could and was trying to catch her breath from rushing up the stairs. Just her luck they were fixing the elevator today. The boys were seated at their desks, and she could see Kate and Castle in the Captain's office. She looked over at Kate's desk and couldn't believe her eyes.

The boys jumped up when they saw her.

"Thank god you're here. What took you so long?" Ryan asked.

"The elevator's out." She replied, still winded. "What the hell is all of that?" she exclaimed, pointing to Kate's desk. She turned to Javi and Ryan who both looked like they wanted to hide. Even with her voice an octave higher, Lanie scared them more than Gates.

"We were about to ask you the same thing." Esposito said, looking towards Gates office to make sure Beckett and Castle couldn't hear them. "We hoped you might be able to fill us in. Stuff has been showing up all day."

"It just kept coming Lanie. It wouldn't stop!" Ryan whisper yelled.

"Something went haywire. There must have been at least four deliveries made today. Esposito told her. "We thought it was supposed to show up a little at a time?"

"It was supposed to be spread out over the week." She confirmed. "Something must have gotten mixed up."

"But that not even the real problem." Ryan said shaking his head. "Beckett almost had an aneurism when she opened the last box. The last package was left at the front desk for her by some kid."

"And, to add insult to injury," Esposito continued. "Castle, the poor guy, hand delivers it to Kate himself. She opened it in front of about twenty people…"

"Whipped this out…" Ryan said, pulling Rigid Ricky from his desk drawer, and holding it up. "For all to see, then went ballistic on Castle's ass."

"She. Did. Not!" Lanie exclaimed, finding her words.

"Yes. She. Did." Ryan said.

Lanie's mouth opened in horror as Ryan kept it held up for her viewing.

"Oh my God. Put that thing away!" She yelled, covering her forehead with her hand, trying to suppress the oncoming headache.

"This appears to be the work of Golden freaking Eagle." Esposito said, watching it register on Lanie's face. "Yup." He nodded. "Madison sent your girl an enormous purple vibrator named Rigid Ricky, and Kate thought Castle sent it to her. We seriously need to change her code name to Crazy Girl because she is out of her mind."

"Would you please put that thing away Ryan!" She whisper yelled at him again.

"Look. It even has his name printed on it." Ryan confirmed, reading off the name on the imprinted device before finally complying with her wishes.

"Oh My God, I'm going to kill Madison. What did Castle do? How bad was it?" she asked, unsure if she really wanted to know.

"Well, at first the idiot couldn't stop laughing…" Esposito said, "Then he denied having anything to do with it. Kate went berserk. Called him all sorts of names for embarrassing her. I've never seen her so mad. She used a few words I don't even use, then she stormed off, but not before first throwing Rigid Ricky down on her desk - and I'm not talking about the real one."

"Oh my God. Why didn't you call me sooner to tell me about the delivery mix-up, and…is this the box it – _arrived_ - in?" she asked carefully. She picked up the brown box on the floor by Kate's desk, gave it the once over, then turned to them unpleased, eyes narrowed on her prey. "Would one of you mind telling me why you didn't stop Castle from hand-delivering a big, brown, plain box when you knew to expect flowers or gift baskets?"

"Um, no." Said Ryan.

Esposito shot him a disgusted look. He couldn't believe they forgot to throw out the box.

"It gets worse." Esposito said, skimming over their part in the mess. "Rigid Ricky hit the desk and what followed was a shit storm of epic proportions. The genius loaded it up with batteries, so it turned on; knocked over everything. Went bouncing…,"

Ryan bobbed his head up and down dramatically providing Lanie with a visual while Esposito continued, "…around like a jackhammer until Castle dove on it and finally shut it off."

"A complete disaster." Ryan said.

"A big ol' CF." Esposito seconded. "Then he followed her into the break room to try and convince her it wasn't her fault."

"Then what happened?" She asked cringing.

"We couldn't see much; the blinds were mostly closed." Ryan said. "But we could make out a lot of arm gestures and there was definitely more yelling before they finally settled down. Then it got real quiet - for long while."

"I eventually had to interrupt them because Gates was looking for Kate. Castle just got called into her office too." Esposito said. They all glanced discreetly over to Gates' office where Kate and Castle were still talking to the Captain, and looking none too happy.

"How were they when they came out of the break room?" She asked them.

"Okay, I guess, considering what happened. They seemed to be getting along much better." Esposito assured Lanie. "I think I might have even seen Beckett smile. And - no bloodshed. That's a good sign Chica."

"Maybe they worked it all out?" she asked, ever hopeful.

"I'm convinced even when they're fighting," Ryan chimed in. "The more time they spend alone together the better. It's really too bad the door to the break room doesn't lock. You know, this would all go a lot quicker if you'd just let me lock them up together. I've said that from the beginning. Even Jenny agrees with me."

"No! No! No! Don't do anything stupid." Lanie exclaimed. "Things are messed up enough. Stick with the plan. What part of the perfectly simple, laid out plan do you two NOT understand?" They both didn't answer, assuming the question was rhetorical, and answering would bring them harm.

"Did Castle agree to have dinner with you two yet?" Lanie asked trying to get a grip on her emotions. What she wanted was a drink.

"Yeah," Esposito said nodding. "We're on for Remy's - as planned."

"Ok. Good." She said, calming down. "At least something's going right. I'll call Kate and ask her to come with me. Here's what we do: assess the situation, implement damage control and report back later. Do you understand?" She watches them intently to ensure they both nod in the affirmative. "Emergency meeting - my place - tonight. I'm going back to my office now, and I'll start calling everyone."

"Don't worry Raven Compass. We're down with the plan." Esposito assured her.

"Don't you "Raven Compass" me! Javier Esposito." she cried. "Of course, I'm worried! Honestly, must I do everything myself? Don't tell Kate I was here, and call me if there's something that can't wait until later. I've got to go." She said, starting towards the stairwell. "What the hell was Madison thinking?" She muttered, throwing her hands in the air, as she left.

The boys breathed a sigh of relief, happy at least, they weren't Madison. Esposito jumped up suddenly to follow Lanie, after telling Ryan he'd be right back.

The more Ryan thought about it, the more he felt compelled to act on his own. Lanie's plan was too slow. Castle and Beckett were in love, they just needed to spend some time alone together. He truly believed if he forced them into an enclosed space and locked them up together, they'd be forced to talk to one another and clear the air. He loves her. She loves him. It was really very simple. Whatever was said inside the break room walls had obviously helped the situation, and since no one was listening to his ideas, except his lovely wife, he thought more about taking matters into his own hands.

There were many different places at the precinct that might work. The small side office they all worked out of time to time – no, too exposed. And someone would surely see them and let them out. The records room always had an officer on duty monitoring it so that was out. Unless, he could get rid of the guard. Gates was in and out of her office and they would get in all sorts of trouble if he locked them in there. There was the supply closet…maybe, but it was kind of small and dark. And although, tight corners was a good idea, he wanted to make sure they'd be able to see each other. Could be cozy, but he tried to think of other places that might be more suitable.

Looking around the office, he noticed the "under repair" orange cones blocking off the elevator. An idea suddenly struck him. He called down to the front desk to see how long the repairs were going to take, and was told the repairman left to pick up a part, but would be returning within the next couple of hours. Perfect. But how would he lure Castle and Beckett in there? He wandered over to the elevator to scout it out.

For the heck of it, he pressed the button, surprised when the doors opened. Everything inside looked fine. He watched as the doors once again closed. He figured he could probably hide the cones away in the storage room in the hallway. He pressed the button again for the elevator, it opened and he got in, holding the doors open from the panel button.

Just then Esposito arrived back and saw Ryan standing in the elevator. Espo yelled out to Ryan to wait up and jumped in the elevator with him. The doors closed. Ryan was fiddling with the buttons, about to tell him of his idea to lure Castle and Beckett into the elevator when Espo said Lanie wanted them at her place at ten o'clock. He said she'd calmed down a bit after he swore they'd stick with the plan from now on.

Ryan was about to debate the merits of his own idea again when Esposito stopped him.

"Dude, we're not moving." Esposito said, hitting some of the buttons. Alas, nothing happened, and this time the doors wouldn't open.

"Tell me you didn't." Espo said to his partner.

"What?"

"Tell me you didn't think you'd lock Castle and Beckett in the elevator together."

"Um."

"I can't believe you Ryan! The elevator's still broken isn't it?" Espo asked already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, it kinda is."

"How the hell did you think you were going to get them in here?"

"I was working out the details when you interrupted me." Ryan defended, picking up the emergency phone in the elevator panel.

"Why would you think this would ever work?" Esposito asked.

"Worked on you didn't it."

Their call for help unfortunately didn't…help. The repairman couldn't be reached on his cell phone and wasn't due back for about another hour. After the officer at the front desk stopped laughing, he asked if they wanted him to call the fire department, however, they politely declined. As it was, Gates was going to be pissed at their absence. They hoped she wouldn't notice. Since they'd both left their cell phones at their desks, Esposito instructed him to let Beckett know where they were. They settled in for some quality time together.

"What do you think about the supply closet?"

"Shut up Ryan."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Beckett and Castle stood before the Captain awaiting instructions. Kate wished Castle would stop fidgeting, it was starting to get on her nerves and was only making the Captain more suspicious.

She looked from one to the other a few more seconds before starting in on them. "Detective Beckett…would you care to explain the botanical gardens that have thrown up on your desk, or do I need to submit a requisition for a larger desk?"

"Um…" Kate said, eyes wide.

"Mr. Castle," she said staring him down. "I am of the opinion that this sort of affair should be kept a private matter and decidedly out of my office. I find this display wildly inappropriate. Do I make myself clear? Now is there something you both would like to tell me?"

"Detective Beckett has an admirer, Sir."

"Yes, I can see that Mr. Castle. Thank you for clarifying."

Gates was still looking at him funny. It finally clicked she thought he was the _as yet unnamed_ admirer. "No, no, no. I didn't do this! Not me. You've got it all wrong."

"And why does everyone keep assuming it's me?" he said to Kate, who shrugged her shoulders. If he didn't shut up, she was going to have to kill him. She'd prefer if there were no witnesses.

"Uh, huh. So you're saying the exhibit out there is not your doing?"

"That's right! I'm innocent I tell you!" he cried, sounding much like a 1940's prisoner gripping the jail cell bars, yelling to anyone who'd listen.

"He didn't Sir." Kate confirmed coming to his defense. "We are currently investigating the situation. It appears I have _secret_ admirer, Sir."

"Humph." Gates stared at both of them with obvious disbelief. "Very well, keep me abreast of the situation." Her continued assessment was freaking them out. Castle might even need a sedative. Her work here was done. Well, almost…

"Although fascinating, that's not why I called you both in here. I have an assignment for you two." Gates told them, passing Kate a file.

Kate flipped through the file quickly while she listened to her boss's instructions. They were to stake out the last known address of a murder witness gone missing. It wasn't even one of the cases her team was working on. "Isn't this one of Karpowski's cases?" she asked looking at the file closer.

"Yes, but we're short staffed and I need you two on this. We have it on good authority he's supposed to show up there tonight after ten. Word on the street is there's now a bounty on his head, so haul him; for his own protection. The DA's been breathing down my neck pending this man's testimony, but he's been avoiding us rather effectively. It's become an embarrassment."

"No disrespect Ma'am, but can't a black and white handle this?" Beckett asked.

"No, I need you two on this. And although it might seem menial to you detective, it's a job that has to get done. Kate glanced at Castle. He looked uncomfortable with the idea. Of course, he didn't want to be stuck with her in a car for hours. They'd made progress, sure, but he was still mad at her. She pretended not to notice his discomfort in front of the Captain.

Castle was torn. He _was_ uneasy at the thought of spending so much time alone with Beckett, but on the other hand, pleased to be included by the Captain. Gates had never considered him to be Kate's real partner before, since he wasn't a real cop. Maybe this was a sign she was finally warming up to him.

"Mr. Castle? Do you have a problem with this assignment? I fully understand if you have other more important, non-police-oriented obligations to attend to."

Or maybe not. "No, Sir. It's fine. I just have to make a few phone calls to clear my schedule."

"Do you want Esposito and Ryan on this as well Sir?" Kate asked.

"No, I think two can handle this." She said putting on her glasses, and picking up paperwork on her desk in lieu of a dismissal. They turned to leave. "Oh, and one more thing Detective…" Gates said, stopping them before they exited. "Clean up that desk."

"Yes, Sir." They both said, shutting the door behind them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kate told Castle she was off to find a box big enough to pack up her desk. He looked around and noticed Ryan and Esposito missing. After finding a box, she returned, and they worked together to pack up the mess. She suggested he take the bear to Alexis, she might like it, but he politely declined saying he felt she'd outgrown them. It didn't matter he knew Alexis adored big teddy-bears. The last thing he wanted was that road kill in his loft.

Changing the subject, he commented on Ryan and Esposito who had been missing for a while now. Kate couldn't remember them saying they were going anywhere, and their cell phones were on their desks, so she had assumed they were around the precinct somewhere.

"Was Gates in a worse mood than usual or was it my imagination?" Castle asked.

"Isn't she always like that?"

"Point taken."

Kate's cell phone rang and she picked up. It was the dispatcher downstairs. "Shut the front door!" she exclaimed into the phone. Castle was all ears.

"Oh Castle, you're not going to believe this…" she told him beaming. He liked the smile, but was exhausted from the roller coaster of a day he was having.

They laughed over the boys situation for the rest of the afternoon. Lanie called Kate and they made plans to meet for dinner around seven. Lanie mentioned she'd heard Kate had a secret admirer, but Kate told her they'd talk about it later, not wanting to get into it with Castle sitting right next to her.

Kate changed the subject by telling Lanie that Ryan and Esposito were stuck in the elevator. Lanie at first didn't respond, and Kate thought maybe they'd been disconnected. But then Lanie came back on, called them idiots, and promised to give them crap about it. Lanie also suggested chipping in to pay the repairman to leave them in longer. Kate thought maybe Esposito was in the doghouse again, but decided she'd ask Lanie over dinner.

Kate and Castle worked for a while in companionable silence. Well, Kate worked while Castle played on his phone. Both had trouble focusing, their thoughts drifting off, mainly to each other and how they might fix things.

From the minute Gates said "stake-out", Kate knew Castle dreaded tonight's assignment. She observed him as he sat in the chair next to her, pretending to play on his phone, tapping his foot, his right leg bouncing up and down, while deep in thought. She'd yelled at him today – a lot; he was probably dying to get away from her. Their talk had done some good, but he was obviously still angry with her. Maybe some mandatory time alone was just what the doctor ordered. Besides, it wasn't her idea, this was Gates' brainchild. But, as much as she wanted time alone with him, to talk more, she wanted a willing partner. She decided to let him off easy.

"Castle?"

"Yeah?"

"You don't have to go with me tonight. I'll be fine. It's no big deal."

"No. It's fine Beckett. Duty calls and all that."

"I can handle this on my own."

"I'm going with you. It's settled." He said, starting to get agitated.

Time to lay it on the line. "Look, I can tell you are not thrilled at the prospect of being confined in a car with me for god knows how long. I get it. You're still mad at me." This was not working out like she'd meant it to. She was trying to be nice.

His heart skipped a beat. He wondered if she was talking about the fight they just had over her thinking he sent all those gifts, or if she'd finally figured out the real reason he's been so angry at her for the past couple of weeks. He studied her closely, and concluded it was the former. It marveled him to think she had no clue as to the real reason he was mad. He so badly wanted to spit it out, just tell her, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Call him stubborn, but she should be able to figure it out on her own, smart woman that she is.

"We settled the "secret admirer" issues." He told her abruptly. "The stuff's not from me. Let's move on. I'm supposed to go to dinner with Ryan and Esposito, if they ever get out of the elevator, so I'll meet up with you later."

"Okay...if you're sure, but it sounded like you had other "late night" plans."

"I did, but I'll change them. I just have to make a few calls. It's fine." He said, indicating he didn't want to argue over it. Alexis would understand. It wouldn't be the first time he'd broken a father/daughter date. He stood up, pulled out his cell phone, and looked around for privacy.

"Fine." She said just as abruptly, assuming he was annoyed over having to now break off a late night date with the flight attendant or some other floozy. She couldn't help it. The little green monster veered its ugly head, and Kate's next thoughts were those of a blonde stewardess flying through the great blue yonder sans aircraft. The thought brought a smile back to her face, enabling her to speak without growling. "I'm having dinner with Lanie, so I'll call you around 9:30."

Their discussion was interrupted by a kid holding the most beautiful lavender roses Kate had ever seen. "Delivery for Detective Kate Beckett." He said.

Look at the way she's smiling at them. Just great. Castle thought, while outwardly aiming for unaffected demeanor. More flowers. Who the hell is this guy? He made a mental note to get more intel on fucking Paul from Vice.

While she signed for them, the kid handed the bouquet to Castle, and he sneezed in them.

Castle put the roses down on the desk, confirmed there was no note, and then they both questioned the kid nine ways to Sunday about who sent them, how they were paid for, the name of his employer etc… Garnering no substantial information from the kid, Castle tipped him, and let him go.

Kate was hovering over the roses, drinking in their heavenly scent, touching the soft, perfect petals, and admiring their colors like they were the most amazing thing she'd ever seen. Castle couldn't help but stare. She was beautiful, and the roses paled in comparison. She should get flowers every day. He realized he was mooning over her, and reminded himself there was still a lot to talk about between them. He needed to keep his head clear about his feelings for her until they did. Why the hell did women love flowers so much anyway?

"You know what sending someone lavender roses means right?" Castle asked her breaking her trance. She shook her head.

"Love at first sight, enchantment. This guy's got it bad Beckett. He must be a real loon." She was way too happy with these flowers and knew damn well they didn't come from him. He can't wait to find the bastard who sent them so he can wring his neck. Purple roses. What the hell?

"These are the most gorgeous roses I've ever seen. Whoever he is, he has excellent taste." Beckett said.

"For a criminal! I can't believe you're fawning over this guy."

"I'm not fawning over anything or anybody Castle."

"You're totally fawning. You're being all..."girly"." He said for lack of a better word.

"Am not!" she defended. So what if she likes flowers. Technically, they were from Castle since the charges were probably going to show up on his credit card. Sure, he didn't send them himself, but this was a minor technicality she chose to ignore. A girl could dream a little. Why was he acting like such an ass?

"Oh my God, you're intrigued by this nutcase." He exclaimed with wide eyes and a harsh laugh.

"I am not. I'm just admiring the flowers. And don't look so shocked. It's not totally implausible that I could find myself the object of someone's affection. Not all the charges could be traced back to your credit card. Maybe they're really from an admirer."

"Look, Beckett, I'm glad you like them, and yes, he has excellent taste in…roses, but he also sent you a big purple vibrator with my name on it. This guys a loon and a crook. Lover-boy probably didn't even have the decency to pay for them himself. You're normally the first to point out most things are not a coincidence. Which reminds me, excuse me while I go cancel my credit card." He grabbed his phone and walked away leaving her with her mouth hanging open.

Just then the boys sauntered back, tails between their legs, entirely embarrassed about having spent the last couple of hours in the elevator. They tried to nonchalantly take their places at their desks.

"Hey." They both said to Beckett. Knowing the teasing was inevitable.

Beckett seemed to be okay, and they spotted Castle off in the distance, still hanging around. She hadn't kicked his ass to the curb yet, so maybe they'd made up. They decided not to bring up the disaster from earlier. They'd find out what happened over dinner with Castle.

"Hi'ya boys. Long time no see. You guys have fun?" Kate asked, tongue in cheek.

They ignored her tone and tried instead to focus on the work piled on their desks. They really had no place to hide, since they now had a ton of work to catch up on.

"Yeah, well…" Esposito started, "Before you even start in, I just want to say, none of this was my fault. You can blame Chucklehead over here." He said flipping his thumb in Ryan's direction.

"I cancelled the credit card." Castle said, walking back over to Kate. "You're right there was only the one charge on it." Noticing the boys had returned he smiled widely, twinkle ever present, and rubbed his hands together with glee.

"Oh, you've been set free! You know…" Castle said seriously, putting his phone away and coming over to them, "If you boys wanted to be alone, all you had to do was ask. Right Beckett?"

"Sure. Anytime boys. I think it's nice –you're bonding." She agreed. "The elevator is cozy, but it does seem a little extreme, and it doesn't offer much in the way of amenities, not to mention the posted signs stating it was under repair. Oh, wait, you can't read."

"She's right, you know." Castle said. "I've personally always thought the supply closet would be a much nicer place for an afternoon interlude."

"Absolutely." Kate laughed agreeing with him. Come to think of it, she wouldn't oppose being locked in said supply closet with a certain writer.

Her remark prompted Ryan to mouth "I told you so" to Esposito, however he said nothing further on the topic for fear of retribution and concentrated on finishing his paperwork. Ryan continued to feel justified in his quest to lock up Beckett and Castle, and he sat back rethinking the supply closet idea. Esposito could hear the wheels turning and whispered under his breath, "Don't even think about it dude." They both got back to work and prayed in vain, for a quick end to the teasing.

Prior to leaving for the night, when Beckett and Castle were out of site, Esposito made sure to put Rigid Ricky in the box Kate was taking home.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Come seven o'clock, Lanie and Kate met up, dropped off the box at Kate's car, and then walked over to a nearby café for a light supper. As soon as they were seated, Lanie asked her about the gifts she'd received today.

"So, I heard you had an interesting day. Tell me about this secret admirer. Judging from the box you just put in your car, the guy must be loaded." Lanie said.

"I'm not so sure it is from an admirer – it might just be someone's sick idea of a joke. I did some checking and although I couldn't trace all of it, one of the purchases showed up on Castle's credit card. He swore his credit card was stolen, even cancelled it, and swears it wasn't him. I believe him."

"Really? So you're telling me someone stole his credit card and used it to send you all that stuff? That's nuts. Do you have any idea who it could be?" Lanie said calmly, although her palms were sweaty. Nothing was supposed to be traceable.

"No. I haven't a clue, but someone sure is trying to get my attention. And this someone probably knows both of us. I suppose you heard about "Rigid Ricky", huh."

Lanie nodded. "Oh, honey, it's going to take a little while longer for that one to die down. Sorry."

"It could be a wild coincidence, the name I mean. But come on, "Rigid Ricky"… what are the odds?" Kate asked.

"That is weird. You should watch your back. There are a lot of crazies out there. Lanie said, cool as a cucumber. _Most of them on Team Caskett_. "I heard you and Castle had a knock-down drag-out fight over this. You guys okay now?"

"Lanie it was horrible. I was horrible. I called him every name in the book. I wanted to die when I pulled out that purple thing. There was crowd of people around me. He's lucky I didn't throw it at his head. But the poor guy had nothing to do with it. At first I really hoped the presents were from him. I thought maybe he wasn't mad at me anymore, that it was his idea of a peace offering. But then he showed up with Rigid Ricky… that sounded dirtier than I meant it to… anyhow, I lost it. I became unhinged."

"That's awful. I hope whoever did this gets what's coming to them. So what does Ricky, uh, I mean Castle think about all this?"

"Well, once I stopped yelling at him, I don't think he could really care one way or the other if it's a potential love interest. His main concern is some lunatic is out to get me, and oh, also that someone stole his credit card. Although he did keep asking me about this guy Paul from Vice, who I hardly even know. I only met the guy once. No way it's him."

The waiter took their order and brought them their drinks.

"After things calmed down," Kate said. "We talked for awhile, probably more than we have in the last two weeks. I think it helped. Things are better, but he's still mad at me, Lanie, I can tell. I wish I knew what I did wrong."

Lanie knew, for Martha had been very informative, but there was protocol to follow and that information was something Rick needed to tell Kate himself. Didn't mean Lanie wasn't going to nudge things in the right direction of course. "You need to tell him how you feel about him. Don't wait any longer."

"He's still seeing that flight attendant, or maybe it's not her, it could be some new floozy." Kate said. "Either way, he broke a date later because Gates insisted he go with me on a stake-out tonight and he wasn't very happy about it. He's moved on. The best I can hope for is to get him to tell me what I have done wrong, apologize, and then accept we're never going to be anything more than friends. I'm afraid that ship has sailed." She said finishing her drink.

"I think you're wrong." Lanie argued. "You need to stop wondering and take action. Fight for your man girlfriend! He's worth it. I can't believe you're willing to give up so easily. You could take that Jacinda with one hand tied behind your back!"

"Are you suggesting I beat up his new girlfriend Lanie?"

"I'm just sayin'… it's time he knows you're in love with him."

"I'm too late Lanie. And I refuse to make a fool out of myself when it's clear he's not interested in me "that way" anymore."

"So, you think he _once_ did feel something for you more than friendship then?" Lanie hedged, knowing full well he did and still does.

Kate wasn't sure she could say out loud what she'd admitted so far only to Dr. Burke. She wanted to confide in her friend, but couldn't formulate the words; they just weren't coming out of her mouth.

Brown eyes pierced her own and Kate knew she wasn't going to let up. Kate finally broke. "He told me he loved me the day I got shot." she confessed.

"Whoa."

"Seriously, Lanie I'm calling you in on our next interrogation!"

"Never mind the diversionary tactics Kate. I sense there's more."

"There is more. He doesn't know I heard him. I never told him. Worse, I lied about it when he asked me if I remembered anything from when I was shot."

"Why on Earth would you lie?"

"I was a mess Lanie, and terrified. Someone wanted me dead. And then when I woke up Josh was there, only his face wasn't the one I wanted to see. I knew I needed to break things off with him. I needed to get my head together and straighten out my life. I needed time to heal.

"Kate, you need to tell him what you just told me. Then prove to him that you're in love with him. Take action! Bring the man coffee, let him drive, invite him out. You need to make the next move. The man told you he loves you and he thinks you rejected him! Guys don't handle rejection very well. It's probably why he's pulling away."

The fact is Lanie, people can fall _out_ of love...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So what's going on with you and Beckett?" Ryan asked Castle straight out.

They were at Remy's, having chowed down on some burgers and beers when Ryan blurted it out shocking both Castle and Esposito. So much for easing into it subtly like he and Ryan had discussed earlier back in the elevator, Esposito thought.

"What do you mean?" Castle said playing dumb. He really didn't want to get into this with them. He was still trying to figure things out himself. "There's nothing going on with us." He hedged, flagging down their waiter for another beer.

"Come on Castle, spill." Ryan kept on him.

"Earlier was simply a misunderstanding." He said matter-of-factly. "She thought I sent all that stuff, and I set her straight. After she was done yelling at me, that is, we worked it all out. Everything's fine now."

"So she believes you. Good. But we're not just talking about today Castle." Esposito said. This was going to be harder than they thought. Time for some tough love. "Come on, dude. You've been mad at her for weeks now. What gives?" Esposito asked. "We're not blind."

"I'm not mad at Beckett." Castle told them, lying through his teeth. "It's your over-active imaginations."

"Let me help you out here bro." Esposito said. "Two words…" He waited till he had Castle's full attention. "Flight attendant."

"What do you mean?"

"Just that in the last few YEARS or so, Mr. Playboy," Ryan said. "You haven't so much as looked at another woman the way you look at Kate. And don't deny it. We know how you feel about her."

"You still seeing the flight attendant?" Esposito asked with a grimace.

"Not that it matters, but no. It was just a fling." He told them. Bastards were double-teaming him. "I'll probably never see her again."

"Good. Because Beckett's like a sister to us, and you don't mess around on our sister." Esposito said.

"You guys got it all wrong." Castle said taking a slug of his beer. "Beckett and I are work partners, nothing more. "And she could care less who I date."

They both weren't letting him off easy and chose to ignore his nonsense. "How stupid are you? Haven't you noticed how miserable she's been? Were you trying to make her jealous?" Esposito asked. "Is that what this is about?"

"No." _Was he?_

"Beckett's crazy about you." Ryan said.

"You're like two little old biddies." Castle exclaimed. "Let me spell it out for you both… Kate does her thing, I do mine. It's that simple. We have no claim on each other."

"You are so full of shit Castle." Esposito said laughing at him as he swigged his beer.

"Why don't you tell her how you feel about her already and put the rest of us out of our misery?" Ryan added.

"Out of your misery? What are you talking about? How could we possibly be causing either of you misery?" Castle asked.

"You think it's not painful to watch you guys day in and day out, what with the banter, and the eye sex, and cute little way you finish each other's sentences and all the other blah, blah, blah." Ryan said. "And yet, you both do nothing about it. It's all very frustrating. And now this. You're breaking my heart." Ryan told him clearly exasperated. _Lock them up and throw away the key, Ryan muttered to himself._ Esposito rolled his eyes at Ryan before he picked up the conversation.

"What _Rayanne _here means..." Esposito said, shooting a dirty look at Ryan, who lobbied it back, "Is that it's obvious you two have something more than your run of the mill work partnership. Sorry, but you can't deny you have a certain chemistry."

"Aka, you both got it bad." Ryan said smirking.

"You know, she'd kill you both with her bare hands if she heard you talking like this about her." Castle laughed, trying to change the direction of this inquisition. He tried to ignore what they were saying. They didn't know the truth as he did. Maybe Kate flirts with him a little, it's true, but that's the extent of it. He's not even sure they're friends anymore. Friends don't lie to each other. He's got his secrets and she has hers. He's only just begun to reconsider repairing their friendship.

"By the way, when did you two become Ann and Abby Landers?" Castle asked them.

"We're both your friends, and you're both miserable. We're only trying to help." Ryan said with his puppy dog eyes. "So are you going to tell us why you're mad at her or not?"

As much as he wants to deny it, they're not buying what he's selling, and he's outnumbered. He's not used to all of this male camaraderie and he's somewhat leery.

Ryan and Esposito give each other a knowing look. Time for a new tactic. "Beckett seemed a lot better when you came out of the break room earlier." Esposito smirked. "She went from steaming mad to almost smiling. Must have been some _conversation_ you had Castle."

"Yeah, it's probably a good thing you worked out your problems _privately_ earlier." Ryan said following his partner's lead. "Come to think of it, it was pretty quiet in there, after the yelling stopped that is, and you were in there a awfully long time. Did you kiss and make up? Good thing Gates didn't walk in on you, huh?"

"It's not like that. You guys got it all wrong I tell you. Believe me when I say, she thinks of me only as a friend."

"No. You've got it all wrong dude." Esposito said. "How are you _this_ blind? She's crazy about you. Why do you think it didn't work out with the other guys."

His stomach knotted as he remembered Demming, Will, and Josh. She did break up with each of them. But why? He doesn't really know. Surely, he couldn't have had anything to do with her decisions. Right?

The boys could see Castle's resolve was faltering. They almost clinked glasses, but thought better of it. _Stick with the plan_ in Lanie's voice ran through both their heads and kept them from toasting.

Castle wanted to talk about it. The only other person that knew what he was going through was his mother. Not that he didn't value what his mother had to say, but maybe what he needed was a man's perspective. He was already feeling pretty pathetic about the whole thing, so what the hell, he really had nothing to lose.

"I told her how I felt about her." Castle said. It did feel sort of good to say it out loud. They were looking at him funny, but didn't seem too shocked by his news.

"Good. Now we're getting somewhere." Ryan said with a straight face. "So the cat's out of the bag. She knows you love her."

"Excellent." Esposito agreed. "And what did she say?"

"Well, about that… she was sort of unconscious at the time."

"You told her you loved her when she was unconscious?" Esposito asked incredulously.

"Well to be fair, it was right before she lost consciousness."

"So, assuming this was the day she got shot…" Ryan said looking at Castle like he was nuts. Castle nodded in the affirmative and Ryan continued, "Let me get this straight.. Kate's unconscious, lying on the ground, with a bullet in her chest. You've confessed your love. What happened after she woke up?"

"She claimed not to remember." He said, pausing to take another sip of his beer, feeling his anger bubbling to the surface. He tried to put a lid on it. The last thing he wanted was a pity party. "But she lied. She does remember. And there you have it. Proof it was all one-sided, and so, I've moved on. Hence the stewardess, I mean, flight attendant."

"How do you know for sure she lied?" Ryan asked.

"I overheard her tell the bombing suspect she remembers everything from when she was shot, okay. I was in the box when she said it. She didn't know I was listening."

"Dude. You need to put this in perspective." Esposito said. "After four years, you finally told the woman how you felt about her, but at the time, she was lying on the ground with a bullet in her chest. Lunatics were trying to kill her, maybe they still are. Her head was all messed up afterwards. But listen to me…that woman loves you. I don't care what she said when she woke up."

"He's right." Ryan said. "She was a mess for months. You just needed to give her some time to heal. And from where we sit, that time is now. She's been miserable since you started dated again."

"Did you ever think to tell her how you felt about her _after_ the shooting?" Esposito asked.

"No. Come on guys, how much rejection can one man stand?" Castle said. "And now she's got a secret admirer. She was all gaga over the flowers she got earlier. You should have seen her. I think our time has come and gone fellas."

"She doesn't care about any secret admirer, forget about that. And she's not going to reject you. Maybe she thinks you only told her because you thought she was dying." Ryan said. "You know, in the heat of the moment."

Castle pondered this…maybe…no. "I wouldn't do that."

"It's amazing to me," Esposito said to Ryan, "That two people who can usually finish each other's sentences, can have this much trouble communicating with one another."

"Truly ridiculous." Ryan agreed and looked at Castle, dead serious, "You need to tell her how you feel, while she's conscious this time, and that you know she lied about hearing you. Then you need to man up and lay it on the line. No more lies."

"Yeah, about that, there's more…" Castle said, considering they may be right and maybe he should take a chance. He'd think about it. "I've been keeping a secret of my own, although, you'll probably both understand my reasoning; you'll have to be sworn to secrecy."

"Okay." Ryan said.

"No problem. You know you can trust us." Esposito told him.

He told them about the mysterious Mr. Smith and the packet of information the man received from Roy in the mail. How he'd met with Smith and was made to promise to keep Beckett from pursuing her mother's case further. How Kate's life depended on her giving up on ever solving it. Castle told them she'd be dead if they knew she started investigating it again.

"She did once lead me to believe she needed time to finish this thing with her mother's murder case before she could ever be in a real relationship." Castle told them. "At the time, I'd hoped she'd been talking about the two of us, but I'm not so sure anymore. The real problem is I can't let her do the one thing she needs to do in order to move on with her life. If she pursues the investigation, they'll kill her. So you see my dilemma?"

"You need to tell her." Esposito said. "She'd want to know."

"I get why you kept the secret," Ryan said. "But Kate needs to know what she's dealing with and that she's still in danger."

"She's going to be mad as hell at you for keeping it from her," Esposito agreed. "But she'll get over it once she thinks about it for awhile. Honesty's the best way to go here, Castle."

"You can't say anything." Castle told them. "If she does find out, it should come from me, no one else."

"We won't say anything, but you should." Esposito said. "And you need to tell us everything you know about this guy, this Mr. Smith. Maybe there's something we can do under the radar, without anyone finding out."

"Okay, on one condition…" Castle says, first making sure he had their undivided attention. "You tell me everything you know about this guy Paul from Vice…"

Stay tuned…


	8. Emergency Meeting

Disclaimer: These characters are not mine, but oh, how I dream…

Thanks for reading, and for all of the positive reviews and alerts!

Team Caskett

Chapter 8

Emergency Meeting

The first few minutes of the Emergency Meeting were spent with Lanie in the kitchen pouring drinks and dishing out snacks, while Esposito played host; letting everyone in, and setting up the extra chairs in the living room. Lanie brought the tray of refreshments in and put them down on the coffee table, and then she called the meeting to order. Well, order was one way to describe it – if you were high. In actuality, they were all arguing amongst themselves, pointing fingers at each other for what had gone wrong so far, and talking animatedly over one another.

Everyone was there: Martha (Red Hawk), Alexis (Autumn Heart), Esposito (Romeo), Ryan (Beacon), Madison (Golden Eagle a.k.a. Crazy Girl), and Ryan's wife Jenny (Cupid's Arrow) who'd signed up after the first meeting to head the party planning committee.

"Okay, settle down everyone. We've got a lot to discuss." Lanie (Code Name: Raven Compass) said, as she took her place before the group, checklist in hand.

No one was listening to her, so Lanie let out a piercingly loud, yet effective, whistle, so deafening, it caused half the team to hold their ears, while cabs passing by pulled over to check for fares that would never be. Javier had never heard her whistle before. _Huh, she never stopped surprising him. _

She now had their attention. "As I was saying…I'd like to begin the meeting now. Thank you all for coming. An unfortunate series of events occurred today. Let's review, shall we..." she said calmly. Esposito and Ryan were both leery. They've known her too long. This would be what they refer to as "the calm before the storm".

Lanie slowly paced as she spoke, eye-balling them individually, as they cringed under her scrutiny. "There were mix-ups on the deliveries, a failed attempt to lock Caskett in the elevator, traceable flowers, and let us not forget… the piece de resistance, and my personal favorite, an "unauthorized" purchase… which I'm sure was meant to be saved for the bachelorette party… the newest member of Team Caskett; Rigid Ricky. Sorry Alexis. Anyway – You. Know. Who. You. Are."

Madison couldn't stop herself. "I'd just like to say, in my defense, studies have shown, they've been proven highly effective in bringing couples together."

"Well, be that as it may – you're officially off the gift committee and you're a little off your rocker." Lanie said. "You should look into that."

"Fine." Madison sighed. "But I bet they thank me someday." She said with a smirk, and Esposito and Ryan both made the mistake of laughing.

"What the hell are you two laughing at? Lanie asked, addressing the boys. "First, you let Castle deliver the thing to Kate and then you spent two hours stuck in the elevator when you should have been assessing the situation and working damage control." They immediately stopped laughing and tried their best to appear remorseful. Jenny smacked her husband's arm ignoring his _Ouch!_ She couldn't wait to give her man hell for being stuck in the elevator with Javier for hours. She loved giving him crap about their bromance. He'd somehow forgotten to mention the elevator incident to her. She smirked at him and he shrugged his shoulders, looking to the heavens for help, for his wife would be merciless later.

Lanie proceeded to fill in the ladies on what happened. "Kate thought Rick sent the - _back massager_ – Lanie said for Alexis' benefit, (Alexis just rolled her eyes) so she assumed he sent all of the other stuff too. They got in a fight, and now they're both suspicious that whoever sent the gifts knows both of them. They're investigating, so now we have to cover our tracks. Well, go Team Caskett!" She glared at them. "All of this could have been avoided if you had followed the plan. It's a very simple plan people! Did you not get the memo? But I digress…" Lanie said, feeling her blood pressure rising. She took a deep breath before continuing.

"Now for the good news... In spite of the aforementioned, let's just call them, _serious errors in judgment;_ I can report that things are looking up. We were able to repair some of the damage. Kate went to dinner with me, and Castle went with Romeo and Beacon over here." She said, flipping a thumb in the boy's direction.

"Kate admitted to me, she lied about hearing Castle say he loved her, and she's getting closer to confronting him. She's ten seconds away from taking action people! Tonight could be the night! Meanwhile, Ricky, uh, I mean Castle, confessed to the guys he loves Kate, and told her so the day she was shot. He's jealous as can be over her secret admirer, and suspects Paul, from Vice. He's nearing closer to a confrontation too, so it looks like they're finally on the same page. He also spilled about keeping Mr. Smith a secret from Kate, but he doesn't know we're already on it. They made up from the fight they had earlier today; Kate believes Castle wasn't to blame for sending any of the gifts. And before I forget…Lanie couldn't stop the grin if she tried, the flight attendant is – HISTORY!"

"Yes!" Madison and Jenny cheered, and they high-fived.

"Oh, thank God!" Martha said raising her wine glass in a toast.

"Amen!" Alexis seconded with a big smile, clinking glasses with her Grams.

There was rejoicing, which Lanie appreciated, however, she'd lost their attention again. She tried to get the meeting back on track.

"People. People? Simmer down now! We're not done yet. Alexis, Martha?" Lanie called out to them. "Were you able to contact the Mayor?"

"Yes. Actually, Alexis called him." Martha replied, pride evident in her voice. She patted her grand-daughter's hand before continuing... "He's got a soft spot for her. I was listening in, giving her pointers, not that she needed any. She was fantastic! She's got her father's charm, which he gets from me, naturally."

Alexis blushed at the compliment before speaking up. "He's totally in for the party! Oh, that reminds me. I promised the Mayor we'd send him a t-shirt." Lanie made a note.

"Tell them the best part Alexis!" Martha exclaimed.

"The best part is… he was all over the Gates thing! He said he'd be happy to help. He thinks my Dad and Kate belong together. Oh, he also said he'd love nothing more than to rattle old Iron Gates' chains. He said she needs to lighten up. Those were his exact words." Alexis said matter-of-factly.

"Excellent!" exclaimed Lanie. "Way to go Red Hawk and Autumn Heart!"

"Thank you." Martha told them. "But wait, there's more. May I, Alexis?" Alexis nodded to her Grams. "He's the reason Caskett was sent on a "stake-out" tonight." She said using finger quotes. "And Gates has to attend the party tomorrow."

"Well, that explains her worse than normally horrid, mood today." Ryan said.

"I can shed some light on that." Alexis told the group, as she tried not to laugh. "When I spoke with the Mayor again, after Gates left his office, he told me she totally wigged out on him, and security was even called in. They almost had to haul her butt out of there, but she finally calmed down!"

"Man, What I would have given to see that! Do you think security has a video?" Esposito asked Ryan, who was trying to think if he knew anyone over at the Mayor's office.

"We _might_ have to get her drunk tomorrow night. Her being there could back-fire on us, depending on her mood." Ryan said, half serious. Esposito considered this, but said nothing.

"We so need a code name for Gates - something other than _Iron Gates _!" Said Alexis, and the topic took off like a rocket.

"Iron Maiden!" Esposito yelled out. "Not the band. I'm referring to the fact, the woman's a walking torture device." Kevin fed him the birds.

"How about The Iron Lady?" Martha suggested. All the girls seemed to really like this one.

"The Phoenix, from X-Men!" Shouted Alexis. "The most powerful super-villain." This was followed by her best evil laugh impression, which had them all smiling.

"Alien Queen is a good one." Said Madison with a shiver. "That movie freaks me out every time I see it."

"Ooh, I know, what about Lady Tremaine, from Cinderella? A wonderful character!" Martha said, before adding, "She's one evil mother!" They all stopped speaking to turn and look at her, their mouths hanging open. ""That's _STEPMOTHER_, darlings!" She clarified.

"How about Titania, another Marvel villain?" Lanie said.

"Oh, wait! I've got the perfect name - Captain Bligh, from Mutiny on the Bounty!" Ryan piped in. "My vote's on Captain Bligh!"

"What about Cruella de Vil, from 101 Dalmatians." Jenny asked. "Anyone know how she feel about dogs?" They all shook their heads.

The whole group got really loud again as the debate kept up. Lanie gave them five more minutes, but when they still couldn't seem to agree, she knew it was time to redirect them.

"Okay. Enough about Gates' code name. We'll vote on it later – clock's ticking and there's still a lot of work to be done – the party's in less than 24 hours. Let's not get ahead of ourselves." She couldn't help but smile. As much as she wanted to be the serious leader of this beloved band of misfits, she was as excited as the next guy. Even with all of the mishaps, everything was falling into place.

"Castle still doesn't know there's a party tomorrow, right?" Lanie asked the group. There was a general consensus that Castle still had no clue about the party.

"He doesn't suspect a thing!" Martha said. "And Kate's bringing the cake."

"Perfect!" Lanie replied, checking it off on her list. "At this time, I'd like to turn the floor over to Jenny, or should I say, Cupid's Arrow, to discuss the guest list and party plans. After that we'll discuss covering our tracks from the gift fiasco."

"Hi." Jenny said coming to stand before the group. "First, I'd like to say thanks for allowing me to be part of Team Caskett. I knew the day I met them, Kate and Rick were in love and destined to be together. Sometimes, when you see two people…" she said gazing at her husband, "You just know, you know? Which is why I tried to toss her my bridal bouquet at our wedding. And if it wasn't for my damn cousin Gloria, the ogre, who practically knocked her out of the way for it, Kate would have caught it too." She looked at Kevin, who motioned to her to continue with the party plans. "But anyhoo… for my first order of business, I'd like to go over the special guest list for the party tomorrow. It's really something, isn't it honey?" She beamed at Ryan, who was nodding profusely. We contacted everyone on the list and the positive response has been overwhelming…

A/N: A short chapter, I know, but I've already started on the next chapter which is The Caskett Stake-out, and it's going to be much longer. Thanks Mr Fuzzy & TonyCastle78 for the code names you sent in. If you have a sec, please review & I'm tallying votes for Gates' code name! More soon. Thanks! Karen


	9. The StakeOut

Disclaimer: Although they're not mine, they like to hang with me on the weekends.

A/N: This chapter's for purplangel; for her endless support and encouragement. I wrote as fast as I could without getting dizzy and falling off my chair. The below is smut-light… "practice" if you will, for the next chapter - Shades of Grey, it ain't. I'm working up to it. Thanks in advance for reading and for all of your reviews and alerts. - Karen

Team Caskett

Chapter 9

The Stake-Out

Throughout dinner, Kate confided to Lanie all of her mistakes and fears, but for every reason Kate came up with as to why it might not work out between her and Castle – Lanie gave her two for why it would. Then it was as though a light came on in Kate's head; she knew her friend was right. It was time to lay it on the line. After that moment, it was all Kate could do to sit still through the rest of dinner, skipping dessert so she could leave. Before they parted ways, Kate promised Lanie she'd think seriously about everything they'd discussed, and then drove off into the night, rushing home to change clothes and fix her makeup before picking up Castle.

Kate was determined to tell Castle how she felt about him, and admit she'd lied about hearing him say I love you. At the same time, she was also a bundle of nerves. If Lanie was right, Castle had plenty of reason to be angry and it had been festering for weeks, what if she was too late? What if he doesn't forgive her, says he's moving on, still looking for fun and uncomplicated women? It was no secret, she still had issues to deal with, and just because _she _now realizes they should work through them together, it didn't mean he'd feel the same way.

_No!_ She chastised herself, choosing not to be negative. She was going to stop second-guessing her decision. Confiding in Lanie was just what she'd needed. Lanie's smart, able to see the whole picture, not clouded by emotion, and in this case - right on the money. She was going to tell him. She owed him that much. The more she thought about it the more pumped up she became. Katherine Beckett was done running from the truth.

Satisfied her anxiety had been tampered down a bit; she took a deep breath and called Castle from her cell phone.

XXXXXXX

Castle, for his part, was anxious, yet hopeful. The time for confrontation had arrived. He'd left the boys standing outside the restaurant after a multitude of man-hugs, bird-feeding, and well wishes, then rushed home to change and clean up. The minute he got home, he made a b-line to his bedroom, quickly undressed, pulled out some fresh clothes, and then headed into his bathroom for a shave. He couldn't kick the feeling he was getting ready for a date. The case was the last thing on his mind. As he lathered up and shaved, his thoughts drifted to Kate…

He and Kate were about to spend some mandatory quality time together, leaving the door open to talk more than they had in the past couple of weeks really, and he needed to get his head on straight before she picked him up. He'd taken the boys' words to heart, wished them to be true, but found he still lacked his friends' confidence. Ryan and Esposito seemed so sure he and Kate belonged together. Even after he told them everything that had happened and the lies, on both sides; their intensity had surprised him. It was like they were on some sort of mission. What a couple of romantics. Who knew?

They'd made some valid points. He was beginning to see his emotions were blinding him to the facts. He'd always prided himself on his ability to see the small details in things, but according to them, he'd somehow missed the obvious. Could they be right? He thought back to a few weeks ago, to before he overheard Kate's confession in the interrogation room; the day life as he knew it came crashing down.

Up to that point, he'd thought they were finally on the same page, or at least heading in the right direction. She'd seemed different; smiled more, real smiles that lit up her face. She openly flirted with him, laughed easier, and even brought _him_ coffee a few times. She was… softer. When he and the others were rescued after the bank blew up, he'd even thought she was going to kiss him. Until his mother interrupted them, that is. Although he loves her dearly, his mother's timing really sucked. The boys were right; she had feelings for him that went beyond friendship. It was written clearly on Kate's face that day. It wasn't his imagination. How did he not see it until now?

No more waiting. He loves her. When he looks at her, he knows the truth. And no fling was ever going to change that. He should have known better, but he'd been so angry. He'd wanted to yell at her for lying, but at the same time, needed to get as far away from her as possible. It was as though he'd been slapped. But like his mother said – he can't just turn it off. No matter what she's done, he's still in love with her. Weeks have gone by now, his anger's subsided, his wounded pride has healed, and although he doesn't agree with it, he's beginning to understand why Kate lied. He's ready to forgive, but now the question is - will she? They need to get everything out in the open – tonight, now, as soon as possible. He's going to tell her he loves her, and that he knows she lied. Then he's going to tell her the secret he's been keeping, about Mr. Smith, and the danger she'll be in if she investigates her mother's case any further. She's going to be madder than hell, and it all could blow up in his face, but it's a risk he's willing to take. Then together, and with their friends' help they'll figure out a way to keep her safe. Oh, then he's getting rid of her god damn secret admirer!

"It's going to be an interesting night." He said out loud to his reflection in the mirror. He could feel it.

His cell phone rang and her picture displayed on the screen. His heart rate zoomed. It was as though he'd conjured her up. Since he'd brought his phone in with him, he picked it up quickly. "Castle." Unfortunately, his cell also careened with his face full of shaving cream. "Uh, hey….uh, hang on…" he said, frantically trying to wipe the mess of his phone which now smelled distinctly like aloe. He quickly wiped up as much off the phone and his face as he could before coming back on. "Hey." He said, trying for nonchalant and debonair.

"It's Kate." _Not Beckett, _she said intentionally_. _It was time to get her personal on. She pictured his face, those satiny lips, and the baby-blues that got to her on more than one occasion, and then remembered she was driving, and tried to get a grip on herself before she ran off the road.

"What's up? Are you done with dinner yet?" he asked, his heart pounding.

The sound of his velvety baritone sent her emotions into a tailspin, and shivers fluttering down her spine. He'd no idea how sexy his voice was, especially now, when he's all she can think about. "We just finished up." She told him. "You boys have a good time?"

"Yes. Dinner was good. Very um, enlightening..."

"Enlightening, huh? Maybe you missed your true calling Castle - you should have been a food critic." She teased.

"Yeah," he said realizing he'd sounded too cryptic, and had them heading into dangerous territory. This shouldn't be a conversation they have over the phone. Then again, he'd always had a problem with patience. "Where are you?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Driving. I'm on my way home to change." She replied. Crap. Now he's going to wonder why she's changing. She rolled her eyes at herself. _Not a date, Kate, played in her head._ "Into comfortable clothes…" She added trying to cover. "You know…it could be a long night."

She sounded strange. If he had to venture a guess, he'd say she sounded as nervous as he was. _Interesting._

"Where are you?" She countered.

"I stopped off at home…to get the mail." _He grimaced at his own stupidity and smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand. To get the mail? That's the best he could come up with?_ "But as long as I'm here I might as well change into comfortable clothes too…good idea." He said looking down at his boxers.

"I should be there within the hour." She said.

"Good." He can't wait, since the rest of their lives starts tonight. "Kate?"

"Yeah?"

"I'll be ready for you." He replied softly in his best bedroom voice.

_Let's hope so_. "Good. See you soon then Rick." She said before disconnecting. He was beginning to sound like his old self, she thought. This might just be easier than she thought.

For the rest of the ride she took a mental inventory of her closet, interspersed with repeated reminders they were going on an assignment, not a date; the case still had to come first. After that all bets were off. Then again, who can stop those naughty little voices in your head when they have something to say? Sometimes they were downright insightful. Maybe she'll just lay one on him the minute she sees him. Lord knows, she'd already wasted so much time. She could just imagine the shocked expression on his face if she did, and found herself smiling as she rushed into her apartment and into her bedroom for a quick shower before changing. She had to hurry. She had one brief stop to make before picking him up.

After they disconnected, it clicked to Castle that she'd referred to herself as "Kate" when she called. And she also called him "Rick" before hanging up. He liked it; gave him the warm fuzzies. And it was yet another reminder she wasn't just "Beckett". He thought she'd sounded happy. Maybe their talk would go smoother than he'd expected? He'd pictured her during the call, long silky brown hair blowing from the breeze of the open window - all bright eyes, beauty and confidence. She was hot, hot, hot, and her sex appeal radiated through his phone. _Man I have it bad. _

Sure, they'd kept the call brief, as is their style, but an undercurrent was present, he's not imaging it. And he wasn't kidding when he said it. He'll be ready for her all right; she can take that to the bank, or on second thought, maybe not the bank. Banks haven't been very lucky for them, but he'll be ready for her, nevertheless.

Checking the time, he found himself right on schedule, so he shed his boxers, and then jumped in the shower hopeful someday it wouldn't be a cold one.

XXXXXXX

As promised, he was waiting for her in front of his building when she pulled up to the curb. The sight of him made the butterflies in her stomach dance. It appears she gets dessert after all… tight, dark blue jeans and black button down shirt, black leather jacket - he looked good, very good indeed, she noted. She laughed at herself because – well, didn't he always. He smiled widely at her when he spotted her, then he got in the car. They exchanged a shy "hey" and then simply stared at each other, not sure how to proceed. They were awfully quiet for two people that had so much to say to one another.

She could tell he'd just showered, his hair was still damp, and the smell his aftershave was making her just this side of insane. _Down girl._ "Here…for you." She said handing him over the coffee she'd brought him. Their fingers touched briefly, she made sure they did, and the contact sent the usual sparks through her body. It wasn't the first time it ever happened and she often wondered if he felt it too. She ventured a look from under her lashes and found he was staring at her. Their eyes locked. Judging by his expression, she'd have to say, he'd felt it too.

"Thanks." He said before staring at the cup like it held the answers to the universe. "You brought me coffee." He said softly, more of a statement than question. "And it's the good stuff." He turned and smiled happily at her. The man was so damn cute. You'd think she'd given him a gold watch.

"Yes, it is." She said, leaving it at that, but unable to hide a grin. One more minute of this and she'd be asking him to go steady. Two more and she'd be letting him drive. _Case first, Kate, she reminded herself. _She turned away, checked for oncoming cars, and prepared to depart. "So, the file's right there Castle, if you want to look at it. It's Karpowski's case - the Anthony Malducci homicide." She said, pulling the car carefully into traffic.

He'd rather look at her, but okay. He picked up the file, watching her as he pretended to read. She looked hotter than usual, if that was even possible. And the smell of cherries attacked his senses, causing him to shift in his seat. Her nearness was intoxicating and he considered asking her to call in sick so they could go back to his loft. Nah, she'd never go for it. The "comfortable" clothes she changed into, tight blue jeans and a low-cut, bodice hugging black top were doing funny things to him. And the four inch heels gave him a couple of ideas too. She once said he tested her patience. He now believes she may have had that backward. Uh, oh, she's talking to him…

"So what do you think Castle?"

"About what?"

"Focus, Rick. The case. Do you think the guy will show up tonight?" she asked.

She called him Rick again, which wasn't helping him focus any. How can she not see this? He skimmed through the file real quick hoping to catch up, quite thankful he was a speed reader. "Yeah." He said. "I think if Sammy Saverese is going to show up anywhere, it would be at his girlfriend Samantha's house. It says here they grew up in the same neighborhood, dated in High School but it didn't work out, so they went their separate ways. And then a couple years back, she got him a job where she works. Eventually they started dating again and got engaged last year. They were supposed to get married a few weeks back, but it never happened, since he disappeared. Oh, he'll show up. They're star-crossed lovers. It's risky, but love does crazy things to people; keeps them from thinking straight." _Ain't that the truth?_

"I saw Karpowski earlier." Kate said as she pulled the car on to the highway. "And she told me he's a slippery one. If he does show, he's going to probably make a run for it. Her guys have been watching Samantha's house for weeks, along with his other hang-outs, and still - nothing." Kate told him.

"Who called in the lead?" Castle asked.

"Their boss did - Harry Whitford. Harry's not too happy that one of his best salesmen took off running for a crime he allegedly only witnessed. He believes Sammy had nothing to do with it, wants him to come forward, testify, and then to get back to his job. He say's Samantha's a mess since Sammy took off, and he wants this thing ended. He complained about his sales numbers, but Karpowski thinks the guy secretly just wants to see them back together again. She thinks he's a closet romantic."

Castle was still perusing the file while Kate continued to drive. "This isn't the first time someone has tried to kill the guy. He used to run with a pretty bad crowd. There were a couple of priors from when he was younger, petty theft, he stole a car once, and did some community service, but no jail time, and he's been in a couple of bar fights. Then a little over five years ago he was found beaten to a pulp, left in an alley where he almost died. It doesn't say why someone would want to kill him and he never told police what happened. He recovered, went to work for Harry, and has been clean ever since. It looks like he'd been successful in trying to change his life for the better, until now."

"Unfortunately, some of his friends from the old neighborhood didn't want to let go." Kate said. "We think Sammy witnessed his best friend, Tony Malducci get shot in cold blood by none other than mob boss Louie Castellano. His testimony could help bring Catellano down. Tony was in way over his head with the Castellano family, and Sammy was trying to help Tony get straight. Karpowski thinks Tony shared more than a few secrets with Sammy, so he's right to be afraid for his life. There are people gunning for him. His girlfriend's been less than cooperative with the police, and won't give up any info on his possible whereabouts. Even if we do find him, the mob is still going to be after him. He won't be safe here. If he does agree to testify, he'll be given the option of going into the witness protection program."

"Samantha can go with him; they can still be happy." Rick said.

"You're assuming she wants to give up her family and everything she knows all in the name of love. You also assume, he'd let her. Maybe he won't want to put her in danger." Kate told him.

"True love is a really good motivator. She'll follow him. But who knows, maybe justice will prevail. Maybe we'll catch the bad guy and remove the threat? It's a long-shot but you can't give up hope." He said, clear on the parallel to his and Kate's own situation.

She thought about the people that had tried to kill her and unconsciously brought her hand up to the scar between her breasts. "They sure have a lot of obstacles to overcome if they're going to be together." Kate replied.

"Tell me about it." Castle agreed. "But as long as they have each other, they can beat the odds."

"Yeah, you're right." Kate said turning to look briefly in his eyes, while keeping one eye on the road. "I believe they can."

They were relatively quiet after that. Each caught up in their thoughts. They found the address and parked far away enough from Samantha's doorway not to be noticed. They sat for about an hour making mild chit-chat, watching the area, with Castle driving Kate crazy by checking the clock every ten minutes while fidgeting in his seat. Both were counting down the minutes until they finished this assignment. Some more time went by and his leg started bouncing up and down. Maybe she shouldn't have brought him coffee after all. He wanted to talk to her about "them" and he was sure he was going to explode soon if he couldn't. He was about to ask her if she had plans for the weekend when she jolted forward, staring straight ahead out the window.

"Castle, it's him." She said preparing to get out of the car. Castle could see a dark figure standing across the street from Samantha's apartment. "Follow my lead."

She got out of the car and he did the same. Then she got on the sidewalk with Castle, hooked her arm in his, and they started walking along the sidewalk of Samantha's building towards the entrance. They looked like a couple out for a stroll; talking and laughing. It reminded Kate of when they rescued Espo and Ryan and her first kiss with Castle. As they got nearer the entrance, she saw Sammy spot them from across the street, and then hesitate. _Hell, why not? Who says work can't be fun?_

She stopped in her tracks and with both hands, grabbed Rick by the collar of his jacket. She locked eyes with him, before forcibly pushing him up against a parked car and laid one on him. Sure, she'd taken him by surprise at first, but he'd quickly got with the program and kissed her back for all he was worth. He'd been thinking about it all night. He instantly pulled her firmly up against him, his hands gripping her lower back, as their hot tongues continued to dance and the car held them up. Pressed up against each other the way they were, there would be no denying the effect she had on him. He knew she had to feel it.

She did, and moaned into his mouth, forgetting where they were and relishing the heat. She pushed her breasts harder against his chest as she ran her fingers running through his silky hair as they continued to kiss hungrily. He moaned into her mouth and she sucked on his tongue, pulling away slightly making him chase after hers once again. She escaped from his mouth and licked the side of his neck, leaving warm kisses wherever she could. She'd always wanted to do that. He took control and growled into her neck. His hot, wet lips kissing their way down as she tilted her head back giving him free reign. He wanted a bed, he wanted it now, and he wanted her in it.

"Castle?" She whispered softly, still clutching him. The things he was making her feel…it had been so long, and he knew just how to kiss her.

As she leaned back she saw Sammy quickly run across the street and up into the apartment building. Playtime was over, for now, but she vowed they'd be finishing what they'd started later.

"Castle?" She said a little less softly.

"Yeah?" He answered, in a daze, only half-listening as he pulled his lips away from her neck. His head popped up and she gently kissed his lips.

"Sammy's in the building. We have to go now."

"Have I ever told you…," he asked, resting the side of his face against her head, then pressing a soft kiss there, "that you throw the best stake-outs, ever?"

She let out a small laugh into his shoulder. "No. But we have to go now. You can tell me later - promise." She grabbed his hand and pulled him from where he was still leaning against the car and tugged him in the direction of the building. "Come on Rigid Ricky, it's time to get to work."

They made their way to the tenth floor and to the apartment of Samantha Finelli. Kate had her gun at the ready, just in case he was armed, which most likely he was. They could hear raised voices from inside. The couple was clearly having an argument. Kate knocked on the door and it got quiet. A minute went by before the door opened and a pretty raven haired girl with big blue eyes answered the door, opening it only a crack.

"Can I help you?" She asked, looking them over suspiciously."You cops?"

"My name's Detective Kate Beckett NYPD and this is my partner, Rick Castle. We're looking for Samuel Saverese." Kate said flashing her badge.

"He's not here. And I haven't seen the bum in weeks." She said angrily.

"We just saw him come in the building and we heard you both arguing through the door." Castle told her. She looked them both over. "We know he's here Samantha. We just want to talk to him. It's in his best interest. We're only trying to help."

She seemed to think about this for a minute before answering. "You know what? Sure." She said in a heavy Brooklyn accent. "I've had just about enough of this crap as I can take. Maybe you can talk some sense into that thick head of his. I'm about to toss his sorry ass out of here anyway." Samantha said, opening the door to a full view of Samuel Saverese and letting them in.

"Who the hell are you?" He asked them. "Wait a minute…aren't you the two getting it on outside front?" he grinned. "You don't look like no cops to me. Well, maybe she does."

"Old police trick." Castle told him. "We use it all the time."

"Kate Beckett, NYPD, and this is my associate Richard Castle. We have some questions for you Samuel and we'd like you to come with us down to the precinct."

"Ah, jeeze, Samantha!" Sammy yelled at her from across the room. "What the hell are you doing babe? You let the freaking cops in here? Are you trying to get me thrown in jail, or worse – killed? Babe, we talked about this! I said I was sorry!" He cried.

"You know what Sammy? I DON'T CARE! And stop calling me babe! I have had enough of your bullshit." That shut Sammy up, and he said nothing more as he stood with his hands on his hips letting her rant. "A whole year, Samuel...a whole year of my life spent planning our perfect wedding. Down to the minutest little detail. Hours upon hours Samuel, of dealing with florists, and caterers, and bridesmaid dresses, and wedding favors, the license, and…your mother Sammy – YOU'RE FREAKIN' MOTHER!" She yelled pointing at him.

Not skipping a beat she turned to Beckett and Castle. "The woman's a complete lunatic." then turned back to Sammy and continued yelling.

"And don't even get me started on the dress. The DRESS, Samuel. Not just any dress. My non-returnable wedding dress. The one I spent my life dreaming of wearing. You're lucky I don't kill you myself and bury you in it. And for what Samuel? All so you could leave me JILTED at my own wedding."

"Babe," he said approaching her slowly with his hands out for protection, "You know I would never do anything like that to you on purpose. I would never hurt you intentionally. I love you Samantha. The only thing I ever wanted to do was marry you – from almost the first moment I laid eyes on you. You know that, babe. Remember, when we still lived in the old neighborhood. I'd walk you home from school. I was in love with you then and I still am now. It took us years to come to our senses before we finally got together. Samantha, look at me, please." He begged, but she looked away still fuming. "While I admit it was…unfortunate timing…I was afraid they were going to try and whack me at our wedding. And what if you got hurt? I'd do anything to protect you babe. You're the only thing that matters to me." He said reaching out to touch hug her to him.

Kate and Rick just hung back and watched the show, not saying anything. Kate stood near the doorway just in case Sammy decided to make a run for it.

She pulled away from him like she'd been burned. "Focus Samuel. You can't sweet-talk your way out of this, this time. And your charm doesn't work on me anymore either. You lied to me." Samantha yelled. "How could you lie to me Samuel Saverese? And how am I supposed to be with a guy that I can't trust anymore? You promised me you were done with that crowd."

"This is not my fault Samantha! I didn't do anything illegal. I was just in the wrong place and the wrong time is all. I've been clean for years now, and you know in your heart I ain't lying. But Tony, he was into some pretty bad stuff. You know he was like a brother to me, and I was just trying to help. The same way you helped me babe." He said. "I didn't tell you what was going down because I was trying to protect you! I thought I was doing the right thing. You have to forgive me."

"You should have told me the trouble you were in. We could have figured it out together. Maybe my Uncle Vito or the police could have helped us, but now it's too late. Tony's dead and you're on the run with animals trying to kill you. You need to turn yourself in to the police and tell them what you know Samuel. It's the right thing to do." She was done yelling. She only wanted him to do the right thing. To be the man she fell in love with.

"I know. It doesn't look like I have much choice. I'm going to have to." Samuel said resigned to the fact. "But there's one problem. I'm as good as dead if I testify. You know that. They're gonna have to toss my ass into the witness protection program and we'll never see each other again. It breaks my heart Samantha." He told her, placing his hand over his heart. That's why I came here tonight. To say goodbye." The couple both had tears in their eyes. Samuel grabbed her and kissed her. They were both crying.

"You could always still get married and she could go with you." Rick suggested. They both turned to look at the intruder. They'd forgotten they had company.

"That true?" Samuel asked Kate. "If we got married right now, she could come with me. And we'd both be protected?"

Kate looked over to Castle, who was nodding, but his lips were sealed and his eyes were hopeful. "If you agree to testify, I could make it happen." Kate agreed.

"Well, you heard the lady. And you do already have a dress." Samuel told her. "What do ya' say Samantha Finelli? I love you. You love me. Everything else will work out in the end as long as we stick together. Will you marry me for real this time?"

"Yes Samuel Saverese. I will marry you." They beamed at each other and kissed. "Too bad we don't know any judges or we could do it right now."

Castle cleared his throat. "Do you still have the license?" Samantha nodded. "Good, because I just so happen to know a judge. I'm going to call him right now and see if we can set it up." Castle said moving to the kitchen area to call Judge Markway from his cell.

"Castle! It's one o'clock in the morning. You can't wake him up to perform a wedding ceremony now!" Kate told him.

"Don't worry Kate. For me, he'll do it. He owes me big-time." He told her.

"What about my family?" Samantha asked Kate. "Will I at least get to say goodbye to them?" Kate nodded to the girl. They sat down and asked Kate questions about what to expect from here on in.

A short while later, done with his call, Castle came back over to them. "It's all set. You're in luck. Judge Markway agreed to perform the ceremony. He's waiting for us now." Castle told them. Kate was shocked the judge agreed so easily, but then again she knew firsthand what a charmer Castle could be. Castle stopped and stared at the couple for a second. "You know, I just realized after you get married, your names will be Sammy and Sammy Saverese. Look at the bright side...it's probably a good thing they're going to make you change that."

"Oh, my God!" Samantha cried. "I have to get my wedding dress! I need to fix my make-up! Can I change when we get there?" She asked Castle.

"Yeah. I'm sure that would be fine. We wouldn't want the groom to see the bride in her wedding dress before the wedding, now would we? You can take it all with you to the judge's house. Don't forget to grab the license." Samantha ran into the bedroom to grab her dress and whatever else she could find in a minute's notice.

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The ride to Judge Markway's house was thankfully uneventful but Kate was careful to ensure they weren't being followed. When they got there it was a different story however. For a wedding thrown together in an hour, it was a lively and beautiful ceremony, with Kate and Rick standing in as Maid of Honor and Best Man. The judge seemed happy to do it. Kate would have never taken him for the romantic type, especially with the late hour, but then again people were constantly surprising her. What mostly surprised her was Castle, who managed to organize a wedding in an hour, even stopping off to pick the bride up some flowers to hold during the ceremony. The bride wore her white wedding dress and then Sammy and Samantha exchanged their own vows which were romantic and beautiful. As they promised to stick by each other through thick or thin, to be faithful, honest with each other, to trust one another for as long as they both would live, Kate and Rick watched each other, both knowing their chance was right around the corner. The judge pronounced Sammy and Samantha husband and wife, signed off on their marriage, and then told them all to get the hell out, since he was tired and going to bed. They thanked him and Kate and Rick headed out toward the precinct with the newlyweds.

They got to the precinct around four am, surprised to find Gates already there waiting for them. She told them the Judge had called her to make sure everyone arrived safely and without incident. Gates was her usual cheery self, though to her credit it was the middle of the night. Kate and Rick said their goodbyes to the happy couple with hugs and handshakes leaving them with Gates who would be starting the questioning. Gates told them Karpowski would also be coming in early to the office to assist, so they should go home. She thanked Kate and Castle for a job well done and insisted Kate take the day off since she'd basically just worked around the clock. Too tired to argue, Kate agreed and Castle couldn't have been happier about it.

Finally, he's was taking this woman home! If only it weren't five am. He insisted they leave Kate's car at the precinct and go straight to his loft to get some rest. They were both so exhausted that he was actually able to convince her to leave her car, and pick it up the next day.

They took a cab to his place and he insisted Kate take his bedroom - he was taking the couch. He grabbed an extra blanket from the closet and a pillow to go with it and placed them on the couch as she watched him. He wasn't planning on letting her out of there until the next morning after they talked, but first they were in dire need of sleep.

"Not so fast, Mr. Castle." She told him stopping him in his tracks. She crooked her finger at him and he practically came running.

"Yes, Ms. Beckett?" he countered before she threw her arms around his neck, bringing his head down for a piercing kiss, which lasted a while. When the need for oxygen became apparent, they broke apart, still holding each other close.

"Uh, Kate?" He sighed. "Not that I'm complaining mind you, but the stake-out's over. So, just to be clear, what was that for?" He asked hesitantly.

"Because once will never be enough Castle…" and she kissed him again, happy to have his arms still wrapped around her.

"Kate. I feel the same way, but we have to talk. You know that. So help me, we're going to do this right. But we need to get some sleep first, okay. There are things I need to tell you, important things, but it's a conversation that needs to take place when we're both awake. And after I hide all of the sharp objects."

"Okay Ricky." She yawned, half asleep in his arms. "I promise you we'll talk in the morning. Now come to bed and hold me until then. We'll just cuddle. I promise you - your virtue is safe with me - until after our talk anyway. After that, your butt is mine." She said dragging him to his bedroom after her. He left the pillow and blanket on the couch and followed her inside closing the door behind him. Not two minutes later they were curled up next to each other both sound asleep.

A/N: To be continued… Waking up in each other's arms and Rick's Surprise Birthday Party will follow next!


	10. The Afterglow

Disclaimer: These characters are not mine but they're so damn fun to play with.

Rated M… not for the kiddies.

A/N: This one's for my good friend Denise who needs a smile and requested some smut from her straight-laced friend. I hope I did it justice Ducky. It's the first sex-scene I've ever written so I'm really nervous about it. I hope you all like it. And if you don't. Please blame Denise. ;-) Thanks also to Purplangel for the beta and encouraging me to post it without re-writing the Disney version. Thanks, Karen

Team Caskett

Chapter 10

The Afterglow

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_CASTLE'S LOFT…_

Alexis could hardly contain her excitement as she jumped out of bed. Today was the day – her Dad's surprise birthday party! It was also the day Team Caskett would find out if all of their efforts had paid off. There was still a lot of preparation to be done for the party tonight and she was supposed to meet her grandmother in an hour. She showered and dressed in a hurry, not wanting to be late, and then made her way downstairs with her overnight bag packed with clothes for later. The house was quiet. Too quiet. Her father was usually up by now. Maybe he still wasn't home? She wondered how the stake-out went and hoped that everything was okay. He could be at the precinct or better yet, at Detective Beckett's place she thought with a smirk.

It was then she noticed her father's jacket draped along the back of the chair, leading her to believe he _was_ at home. She tiptoed her way around the loft looking for clues, careful not to make any noise. The living room couch was piled high with pillows and a blanket, all of which were absent before she had gone up to bed last night. Upon further examination, she concluded the bedding appeared not to have been used, so although her Dad may have _planned_ to spend the night on the couch, those plans somehow changed. He must have come home fairly late from the stake-out with Kate, although she hadn't heard him come in. She checked his office. Nothing. The million dollar question therefore being… Where was her wayward father, and was he _alone_?

Alexis looked over at her Dad's closed bedroom door somewhat nervously and then let out a sigh. _Oh, man…_ Her assignment as part of Team Caskett was clear. If the situation should present itself, she was to verify the status of a certain writer and detective and report back to Lanie, um, Raven Compass. In theory, while she was dying to know what lie beyond that door and if everything was going according to plan, she was faced with a dilemma; no teenage girl wants to spy on their parent in the bedroom – I mean, ew, that's just gross. She straightened her shoulders, stood tall, and took a deep breath. _Time to take one for the team…_

Alexis crept towards the door, and gingerly put her hand on the knob, careful not to make a sound. She covered both eyes with the fingers of her other hand, leaving only enough wiggle room for a partial view, and prayed the shield would be enough to prevent future therapy sessions. _Please let them be sleeping, please let them be sleeping,_ she chanted silently, tossing in _and not naked,_ here and there, as she slowly turned the handle. The door quietly opened and she dared a peek.

They looked so cute all cuddled up and spooning. She put her hand over her heart. They were absolutely perfect together. And thankfully both sound sleepers. They were mostly covered by the blanket – the picture of sweetness, so it looked like her therapy would wait another day. She already had mommy issues, she didn't need to add any daddy ones. Smiling, she backed out of the room and closed the door, hardly making a sound. She waited a few seconds to make sure she hadn't woken them up before running into her Dad's office to let out a whispered, fist-pumping "Oh my God!" and "Yes!", complete with happy dance. Operation Stake-Out was a success! She didn't know what to do with herself at first and found herself pacing his office. She had to call her grandmother! She had to call Lanie! Thank God she wasn't going to need therapy! She had to tell someone her news before she burst! She had to leave! This was HUGE!

Quickly, Alexis taped her pre-written note to the coffee maker, thankful she'd thought to prepare it ahead of time since she couldn't even think straight right now, let alone write. The message reminded him she was spending the day with her grandmother and not to forget he'd promised to meet them for dinner at eight o'clock – on the dot, at the Old Haunt. She said not to be late because she missed him and was looking forward to their "date" since she'd hardly seen him all week. Yeah, she knew she'd laid it on a little thick, but she'd needed to ensure he wouldn't cancel. _A girl's got to do, what a girl's got to do._ They couldn't very well have the party without the guest of honor. And now they had even more reason to celebrate. Although, if he and Kate were already together that would mean some major changes to some of the plans Team Caskett had set up for tonight. She started to panic. She needed to get in touch with Lanie pronto - right after she called Grams. They'd both know what to do. Grabbing her purse, phone, and overnight bag, Alexis quickly left the loft, hitting the speed-dial on her cell before the elevator doors even opened.

"Grams!" she exclaimed, stepping into the elevator. "You're not going to believe what just happened!"

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_They'd all met up at Remy's after work. Ryan had filled the juke box with bills. Soft music and laughter drifted through the room, carrying with it the promise of hope and romance. Couples danced under the low-lights; Jenny and Ryan, Javi and Lanie, and other smiling nameless faces glided by happily, while she and Castle remained alone at their table nursing their drinks. She turned to him about to ask if he'd like to dance, startled to find herself the focus of his attention. A shiver instantly ran down her spine. He wanted her. This look, she'd seen from him on occasion; he wore it well. Usually, one or both of them would then shyly turn away; ignore the obvious attraction, but not tonight. She knew exactly what he wanted as he undressed her with his eyes. She wanted it too, and was so tired of pretending she didn't. The familiar ache between her legs revealed itself; she was unbelievably wet for him, there would be no denying it. Judging by the way he was looking at her, he already knew. Their coupling was inevitable, they've known it all along, and somehow tonight they're both finally ready to take that next step. Her eyelids closed briefly in sweet acknowledgement of the moment, and by the time she'd reopened them he'd already risen from his chair and was standing before her, his hand extended for her to take. She put her hand in his, every nerve ending in her body coming alive – it wouldn't be long now... _

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Light found its way through the blinds rousing Kate from her slumber, effectively halting the dream, leaving her sighing in frustration. She'd been having such a nice dream too; she'd never wanted it to end. Five more minutes, okay, maybe ten if they hurried, was all she really needed. And why did they always have to end when they were just getting to the good stuff? She stubbornly tried refusing to wake up, but it was no use; the dream was fading fast, the image of Castle's hungry gaze as she put her hand in his, all but gone. Damn. She supposed she really ought to get out of bed and prepare herself for work, it was probably getting late. On the other hand, maybe she'd take the day off and play hooky instead; Castle must be rubbing off on her. Or at least she wished he would…she smiled at that. Ummm, Castle… five more minutes wouldn't kill anyone. She stretched her lithe body like a cat and then curled up again on her side. Her bed was so comfortable this morning, she never wanted to leave. She let out a contented sigh, cuddling further back into the firm mattress, it's warmth pulling her closer. Maybe she could jump right back into the dream where they left off, sometimes that worked. She moaned as her fingers caressed the soft fine hair on the strong masculine arm enveloping her and sighed happily as it pulled her tighter. She was off to a very good start. _Dream man, here I come. _The hairy third limb was new though– and a real eye-opener. Literally.

_This_ was not her bedroom. She flipped over on to her back and found herself staring directly into the sweet baby blue orbs of her now bare-chested dream man.

"Morning Sunshine." He said, his gravelly bedroom voice greeting her from mere inches away. He'd been lying on his side for awhile now, propped up on one elbow with his other arm draped across his partner watching her have what he could only assume was a very nice dream – apparently about him, no less. The picture she made would be embedded on his brain for all eternity.

When she'd cuddled backwards into him, he knew there'd be no hiding the effect she was having on him. He'd come very close to kissing her awake, but remained still, transfixed by her beauty, content to watch her. It wasn't everyday he got the chance to memorize the face of the woman he loved. Besides, she was making some amazing little sounds. The "Ummm, Castle" she'd unconsciously moaned earlier had nearly thrown him over the edge - hence the blanket covering his lower extremities.

His mind was completely blown. They'd kissed twice last night, both kisses initiated by Kate; hot searing kisses he wouldn't be forgetting anytime soon. And just when he didn't think it could get any better, she's the first thing he sees when he wakes up.

There was a time, not too long ago, when he never thought he'd live to see the day Kate Beckett would wake up moaning in his bed. Today was a red-letter day. Of course, he'd always dreamed when it did happen that it would be after a night of insanely passionate, hot sex, and they'd be completely naked… but this was good too.

"Hey." She said, unsure if she was truly awake or still dreaming.

Grinning like a kid in a candy store, Castle watched Kate register her surroundings; long dark lashes fluttering in confusion, eyes darting around the room, then focusing once again back on him. She was starting to come around.

"Ah, the stake-out…" She said nodding, recalling the previous night's agenda. "…the wedding, and then I stayed over at your place." She smiled.

"What else do you remember?" he replied in a rather sultry tone, admiring how pretty her hair looked adorning his pillow. Maybe he should kiss her again; she appears to have forgotten they'd kissed not once, but twice. This surprises him since he plans to check _Kate kissing him_ off his bucket list.

"I seem to recall some pretty impressive kissing…" She said teasing him, as he leaned in closer and closer, obviously about to do it again. "And then Gates gave us the day off."

"Kate?" He said stopping his descent.

"Yes, Rick?"

"Please promise me you'll never again speak of Gates while we're lying in bed together. It's just wrong on so many levels." He shuddered, making her giggle.

"Promise." After the past few weeks of him barely speaking to her, she was so happy to be lying there with him, laughing with him, half-dressed with him. Last night had done them both a world of good.

The magnetic pull she felt towards him was fantastic and she found it impossible to look away. _Damn he's gorgeous. _Even with his bed head, the desire to run her fingers through it was overwhelming. Upon his handsome face, he wore a smirk that melted her insides like butter, but not much else from what she could see; his broad muscled chest fully-exposed for her viewing pleasure. _Yum._

She raised an eyebrow wondering what else he might not be wearing, and then lifted their blanket to sneak a peek, ignoring his bemusement. Unfortunately, he had on boxers while she wore one of his t-shirts and boxers. Very disappointing. She pulled the blanket back up over them and sighed. _What the hell?_ _This situation must be remedied. _

"Nope – still decent." He said with a chuckle, amused at the garment check, but enchanted by her now rosy cheeks. He can't believe she just did that. And if he's not mistaken, he could swear she seemed disappointed.

"Too bad." She stated, her bluntness surprising him. Then again, she always did like to keep him on his toes.

He was dying to tease her about the dream she'd been having earlier, and the _Ummm Castle _she'd moaned. Instead, he vowed to make her do it again, manually, preferably in a few hours, after their unfinished business and if she was still talking to him.

Reality hit him like a tidal wave. They have some major issues to resolve today; there's protocol to follow. He wants everything out in the open before they go down that unchartered road, preferably in a race car, but he should probably feed her first. She'd eat once a day if he didn't constantly watch after her, and the past couple of weeks he hadn't been watching at all; he'd bet she was probably starving. He should get up and make her coffee. Lord knows Ms. Beckett can be pretty cranky if she doesn't get her coffee in the morning. Better make her pancakes _and_ an omelet.

Then after breakfast he'll lock up her gun in his safe and they'll finally have the talk. She'll be mad, of course, but he's confident he can convince her of his good intentions. And the big breakfast should slow her down a little in case he needs to make a run for it. They'll make up and then the massive amounts of amazing sex can begin. It sounded like a good, rock solid plan and he was quite pleased with his ability to think up such a plan considering the wonton look she was shooting him and her nearness. His plan wasn't the only thing currently rock solid.

"Hungry?" He asked, needing to get out of this bed with her immediately. He was on the edge of losing control of this situation.

"Oh, Castle, you've no idea…" She smirked and licked her lips, pulling him closer. "I'm positively famished." She purred, bringing her hand to his face and running her fingers lightly over his morning stubble. The thought of how that stubble would feel like against her skin everywhere sent shivers down her spine. There would be no more distance between them - she was done with it. The smell of his aftershave lingered in the air and sheets and was driving her wild. Satisfied he was indeed, very real and very sexy, she found she didn't want to stop touching him so she turned sideways, pulling her shirt up and over her head tossing it aside. Ignoring his stunned expression, she pushed her breasts up against his hard bare chest, adjusting her body so the rest of it followed and brought her leg over one of his instantly pulling him closer. Their first skin to skin contact caused them both to moan and the soft hairs on his chest made her tingle. He tossed his head back at the sensation which she found highly encouraging. If this didn't explain why breakfast could wait, she didn't know what would.

She'd kissed him only a few hours ago, and wanted to do it again, and again. She smiled up at him like a Cheshire cat, and he instinctively moved his hand down to her lower waist holding her tighter. She caressed his face and he responded with a kiss to the palm of her hand. The sheer pleasure of being so close to her, her bare gorgeous breasts pressed up against him, had his heart racing. She'd never wanted anything or anybody so badly in her life. Her fingers danced through his hair, down and around the back of his neck, settling on the baby fine hairs she found there.

"Kate…" he said, his resistance wavering, every hair on his body standing at attention, not to mention down below. She was intoxicating and he was becoming dizzy from the sensations she was awakening in him. His eyelids closed involuntarily at her ministrations. He was putty in her hands - the minx. She knew exactly what she was doing to him, and he in turn knew exactly what he wanted to do with her. What the hell, a little pillow talk couldn't hurt.

"No, wait!" He said, not sure where the strength came from. "Kate, not that I mind where this is leading, because I do, I really do, but we need to talk. There are some things I need to tell you first - important things." He said, as she kissed his chest before moving up to his neck. He was not ignorant to the fact that she was basically ignoring his pleas, but it felt so damn good and she smelled so incredible..._oh yeah, right there -_ she wasn't making this easy. "Kate? Let me make you breakfast, then we'll talk, and after that, if you still want to …you know, well then Hell, I'm your guy!"

"Castle." She said focused on seducing him, and continuing to pepper kisses along his neck and then finding and sucking on his earlobe. She pulled back to look at him straight in the eyes, her arms linked around his neck. They loved each other, they both knew it. She didn't need the words from him right now. She didn't want to talk, she wanted action. "Listen to me." She said softly. "It's been a rough few weeks. Whatever it is, I'm sorry, you're sorry…we'll talk about it later and then we'll make it work. It can't be that bad. And judging from the evidence in your boxers, she smirked, looking downward, breakfast can wait." She said as she returned to kissing his face.

She was driving him crazy and he hadn't even properly kissed her good morning yet. Somehow, he'd lost control of this conversation, or maybe he'd never had it to begin with. He really wasn't sure anymore. Things had become a little blurry and he'd lost track.

"Um, Kate, actually it's important." He said starting to kiss her face in return. He couldn't help himself.

"More important than this Rick?" She whispered before attacking his mouth with agility and speed he didn't think possible, although he's seen the heels she runs in, so he really shouldn't be surprised. Once her tongue invaded his mouth all thoughts of her running evaporated and he was lost. She was right, practically a genius, and nothing was more important than what they were about to do. They'd talk later. Right now all he could think about was how she was kissing him, like she'd been doing so for years, well that, and being inside her. He felt her hand pump his hot, hard shaft and waved goodbye to his last shred of self-control as it left the building.

"You have a point." He replied. Time to get with the program. He grabbed both of her hands and pinned her to the bed, his hands itching to explore her.

"I'd say you're the one with a point Castle." She chuckled, looking down between them then back up to his eyes. "Make love to me."

He'd waited four years to hear those words from her lips. "I never could say no to you." He whispered, before his lips came crashing down hungrily on hers, pressing her deeper into the mattress. All joking ceased as their tongues dueled and battled for dominance. Never in his life had he felt so out of control, never before had he wanted to be. He made his way down her body, kissing and licking everywhere, not missing a spot. Her moaning, quivering body goaded him on, he could hear his heart pounding in his own ears. Her body was on fire for him. The clothes had to go. He dragged her boxers down and she arched her back, lifting her ass to help him remove the unwanted barrier fully. He reveled in the raw beauty exposed before him. He'd always known she was beautiful, but laid out bare, eyes wide open, watching what he was doing to her, arms above her head, and sheer ecstasy written across her face - he was blown away. And for once he was speechless.

"There are no words to describe this Kate. You take my breath away."

"We don't need words, Castle. Show me."

So he did. He moved up her body planting kisses here and there at a maddeningly slow pace, pausing for a second when he felt her hands grasp his hair, egging him on to move faster, with her whimpers and sighs, showing him she liked what he was doing to her. Her gorgeous legs went on for miles and he made sure to kiss every inch of them, while his fingers slid idly over her body, trailing along her sides everywhere at once.

He licked and suckled the sensitive skin of her inner thighs anxious to reach her glistening center. Her hands in his hair drew him in, leading him to where she wanted him most. His tongue reached out to taste her, the need to feast upon her intensifying. She tasted of cherry wine and his cock burned with the need to fill her. Just when he didn't think it possible to become any harder for her, his name escaped her lips followed by an _ah, fuck_. She was so wet for him and he loved it…he loved her, and relished the power of being able to do this for her. He drew sounds from her he'd only ever dreamed of hearing as he continued to ravish her sensitive bundle of nerves with his tongue like the starved man he was.

"You're so fucking beautiful Kate."

He pressed two fingers into her tight folds, swirling her hard clit with his thumb causing her to moan loudly and brought his other hand up to caress her smooth perfect breasts gently rolling each nipple, his lips seeking out her mouth as he continued to fill her with his fingers. She was bucking on his hand, quivering from the friction, her eyelids closed tight from the exquisite torture he was inflicting on her body. He suckled each breast swirling his talented tongue over the hard peaks, reverently kissing the scar that lie between them, thanking God for keeping her alive.

Her fingernails trailed up and down his back as he moved lower down her body, his strong hands lifting her bottom to bring her center up higher, and then he placed her legs to rest upon his shoulders. She whispered she was close and he wanted nothing more than to make that happen. He ravished her center once again with gusto, suckling the swollen nub, nipping gently with his teeth practically demanding the orgasm from her loins. He knew exactly how to pleasure her and she never wanted this feeling to stop.

"Let go Kate. I want to see you…come for me." he demanded, his voice washing over her, the vibrations pushing her nearer the cliff until she finally let go. He was captivated as her crescendo hit, her head falling back in ecstasy, yelling out his name and God's. He's certain he'd never seen anything quite as wonderful and he couldn't wait to do it again.

He kissed his way gently up her body, allowing her time to come down from her high, and then lay next to her on the bed. He was trying to be patient, but he was going to explode if he didn't get inside her soon. She opened her eyes and grabbed him, still panting but kissing him hard and pulling him down on top of her.

"That. Was. Amazing." She said, pulling his face down for a scorching kiss and then smiling contently. "Your turn Castle." She said and he rose to his knees.

"Oh, thank God." He said, making her giggle.

She helped him to pull off his boxers, her hand reaching out reflexively for his swollen cock as he kneeled before her. She stroked the hard velvety length of him, gently squeezing, and watched in awe as he grew harder in her hand, his head lobbing back in bliss. She licked her lips in anticipation of what he would feel like deep inside her walls. She ran the fingers of her other hand slowly down the front of his chest, as she continued to pump him, her mouth leaving a trail of butterfly kisses as she traveled lower and lower down the hard planes of his flat stomach, skimming over every spot of his flesh she could find before reaching her prize. She so wanted to give him, what he had given her and was about to take him in her mouth when he stopped her. Watching her lick her lips released something feral within him. He was all out of patience; he wanted her now.

"No, Kate…they'll be plenty of time for that later, right now it's _our_ turn." He said, before pushing her back down into the mattress, and crawling slowly up her body like a lion over its prey. "Tell me you want this."

"Yes." She answered, kissing him once more before wrapping her legs around his waist and placing her hands on his shoulders. "Damn, Kate, wait. Do we need to uh, use anything, protection, I mean?" he asked, praying that the answer was "no". He wouldn't mind for a second if they made a baby right now. Probably too soon to mention that though.

"No. I'm on the pill." She replied, flashes of a mini-Castles, zipping through her head and _Someday._

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"It appears we've reached a pivotal point in our relationship Kate." He said, poised at her entrance. "Last chance to turn back." He stared intently into her eyes and wondered if she could see how deeply in love with her he was. He wanted so badly to say the words.

"I don't want to turn back, Castle. I want to move forward – with you. I love you." She held her breath waiting for his reaction. She'd finally said the words aloud.

Her words had caught him off guard and he sucked in a breath. He couldn't believe she'd said it first. Well, technically he'd said it first, but this time they were both conscious. The widest grin she'd ever seen filled his face and then he kissed the stuffing out of her with everything he had; a kiss filled with love and promise and hope.

Like a thunderbolt – the epiphany struck him. This would be his last first time and he planned to savor every moment. She was it for him. He'd never been more certain of anything in his whole life. "I love you too Kate. Always." He told her as he thrust home, stretching her slick, hot walls as he did, and filling her to the hilt. She'd been right; the third time was a charm.

"Oh, my god Castle." She said in awe, opening her eyes to look up into his. _Finally._ Finally they were where they should be. Fears and yearning melted away; nothing else mattered. Wonder and love shone across his face, as her strong long legs gripped him tighter, holding him nestled safely in her narrow channel until they both caught their breath. She ran her fingers through his hair and pulled his mouth down to meet hers, kissing him tenderly. Her trembling walls contracted around his manhood and he sighed as pure pleasure washed over him. He was drowning in her depths, completely overwhelmed by her.

"Jesus, Kate. We're finally here." He whispered, before he started moving in earnest, his body leaving hers, only to return again and again, the exquisite friction setting them both ablaze. She surrendered all control, clinging to him for dear life as he pounded into her over and over again, his long, hard, powerful thrusts, leaving her begging for more. She'd imagined them together before, but nothing could have prepared her for this.

He forced himself to slow down. It would be so easy to rush this, to give in to his primal need for release, but he wouldn't allow it. He slowed his pace, wanting it to last forever, but slow was driving her mad, and she would have none of it. She brought her arms up over her head to grip the bed sheets, arching her back and accentuating her womanly curves, and he grew even harder. His hand reached down between them searching out her most sensitive spot, and he transported her to new heights. She begged him to drive into her faster and harder. As he proclaimed earlier, he could never say no to her and willingly obliged. The room smelled of sex, and her skin was like silk it was so soft, he couldn't get enough of touching her. He suckled her breasts, starved for her, marking her with his lips leaving her moaning and writhing beneath him.

He could feel her urgency, for it matched his own. She was close and told him so. He linked his hands with hers above her head and together the hard and soft planes of their drenched heated bodies mingled in perfect harmony. He sank deeper and deeper, as her body started to quiver and quake and she squeezed him so hard he thought he might pass out from sheer ecstasy. Her climax hit and she came apart before his eyes, shouting his name as her body yielded to his, her cries pushing him past his limits, telling him to let go, to come for her. He couldn't hold on any longer, the need for release too great and pounded into her body until he finally exploded within her, yelling her name, and branding her forever his.

His first coherent thought was of the proper etiquette time before he could propose. What came out of his mouth was…

"Wow."

"I'll say." She seconded.

It had been exactly what they'd both hoped it would be.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They lay there a short time after, bodies still fused together, until they could both breathe normally again and their heartbeats slowed, then he flipped on to his side pulling her close up against him.

"Tell me why on earth we waited so long to do that?" he asked, before kissing her cheek gently.

"We're both idiots?" she replied.

"You may have something there."

"You think?"

Her stomach growled, and her hand reached down to cover the noise emanating from her belly. He moved so she lay on her back, leaning down to kiss it lovingly and then told it to simmer down.

"I'm sorry." He said nuzzling into her belly with his lips. "I tried to feed you earlier but your owner was insatiable and insisted you wait."

"Castle?"

"Yes Kate?"

"You're nuts, but I love you." She smiled then kissed him full on the lips.

"Some might say that makes you crazier than me. I love you too Katherine Beckett." He said kissing her again. Time to get up.

"Rise and shine buttercup." He grinned, as he forced himself out of bed and started to search for his clothes. He decided to forgo the shirt and just wear boxers since it was late and he was certain Alexis had already left for her shopping spree with his mother. He strode into his bathroom, took care of business, washed up and brushed his teeth, then came back out. Kate didn't appear to be moving from her current position. He was tickled by the fact he'd tuckered his woman out.

"Come on Kate, up and at 'em." He said merrily. "I'm going to make you an enormous breakfast – the works – out of bed with you." He demanded.

Kate was enjoying the view direct from his comfortable bed. He was being silly, practically giddy, and looked happier than she'd seen him in a month. The afterglow suited him, it was music to her ears.

She begrudgingly got out of bed and looked for something to wear after realizing her clothes from the night before were the only things she had with her. "Can I borrow a pair of sweats and a t-shirt?" she asked.

"Of course." He said, finding some comfy clothes in his dresser for her and handing them to her. "You can wear my clothes anytime you want, but I'd rather you be wearing nothing at all." He smirked wolfishly, pulling her to him, planting one on her lips. She was addicting, and the bed was only inches away.

The kiss quickly got out of hand as she responded without hesitation. He thought about going another round but knew he needed to get her out of his bedroom and into the kitchen. His woman needed nourishment. It was going to be a long day. Feeding first, then talking, followed by hopefully tons of amazing sex. The great plan he'd come up earlier – well, half of it had gone out the window the minute she removed her top, and although he didn't regret a second of what had happened between them, today was their day of reckoning and therefore, couldn't be postponed any longer.

"Meet me in the kitchen for even more Castle-icious delights."He said wiggling his eyebrows and then releasing her. "We need to keep up your strength." He grinned.

"_Castle-icious, _Castle? Really?" She rolled her eyes and shook her head at him but was unable to hide a grin.

"Too much?" He asked, smiling like a goof, and really not caring that he was. "There's a new toothbrush in the bathroom for you and some towels, but don't take a shower…without me."

"I wouldn't dream of it." She teased staring after his ass as he left the room. She washed up, brushed her teeth, got dressed, and then met him in to the kitchen. He was already flipping pancakes when she snuck up behind him putting her arms around his waist when she got close enough.

The counter was filled with breakfast goodies. He was either cooking to feed a small army or he wasn't kidding about her needing to keep up her strength.

"I hope you're hungry." He said.

"Wow. How much food do you think we can eat Castle?"

"You're stomach was very growling very loudly so don't deny you're starving. I'm cooking you a breakfast befit a queen. I made you cup of coffee, it's right behind you, and it's just the way you like it."

She took a sip and let out a contented sigh. "Oh, that's heavenly. Thanks." She said. "You do know what I like."

"You have trained me well, m'lady."

"I'm working on it…" she teased. She noticed the eggs looked like they needed to be scrambled. "What can I do to help?"

"Nothing. You're not to do a thing. Your choices are to either enjoy your coffee lounging on the couch or you may sit and admire my culinary expertise from right there on that barstool. This will only take me another minute. I'm making us omelets and pancakes. Prepare to be dazzled."

"I believe you already accomplished that this morning Castle." She blushed.

"I believe you're right – but now I must also feed you. You'll learn I have many hidden talents. And besides, Javier says it's the proper way to say thank you for you know…before." He said nodding in the direction of his bedroom.

"Really? What would a girl have to do to get dinner out of you I wonder?" She said making him laugh.

"Ask me again later. But for now come sit." He told her, leading her over to the barstool and placing her coffee in front of her. He needed to ply her with coffee and food before they had "the talk". He was hoping he'd do the talking and confess all, while she snored through it with a full belly. At least that was what he was going for.

She sat for a moment before getting restless, then meandered around the living room for a little bit, admiring some of his family photos, most taken of Alexis when she was younger, then sat back down at the kitchen counter content to watch him work his magic in the kitchen. She knew she was gazing at him like a school girl with her first crush, but she didn't care. First they'd made love, and now the man was cooking for her while she drank the fine coffee he'd made her; life was good and things were most definitely looking up.

He was a sight to behold. His hair was sticking up, he desperately needed a shave, the eggs were burning, and he was so damn cute making her breakfast shirtless and in his boxers; she couldn't believe he was all hers. While he joyfully busied himself flipping pancakes she spotted a note lying on the counter. He was to meet Alexis and Martha at the Old Haunt at eight pm.

His surprise party was tonight. Not that she'd forgotten. She was picking up the cake later, she'd bought a gift, and even invited her Dad to the party. Castle was going to be completely shocked when he walked into the Old Haunt, since she's certain he hasn't a clue about it. She was actually surprised he hadn't figured it out by now. Everyone had somehow managed to keep it a secret. She finished her coffee and thought about buying a new dress for tonight, one to knock his socks off. She'd have time to shop later, if they didn't end up back in bed again, that is. She could always pull out something she had in her closet.

She glanced at the note again and realized Alexis must have left it for him this morning. "Oh, my God Castle. Alexis was home last night when we got back. What if she knows I stayed over. What if she heard us this morning?" _What if his daughter objects to the turn their relationship has taken? _

"It's fine Kate, don't worry." He said calmly trying to reassure her. "She left the note for me on the coffee pot so she probably thought I was sleeping and didn't even know you were here, not that it matters. I want Alexis to know. Hell, I want the whole world to know. I'm thinking of buying some commercial air-time." He was serious; he wanted to shout it from the rooftops. He piled food on the plates before her, shut off the burners on the stove and moved around the counter to where she sat. She had her worry face on. "Come here." He said stopping to pull her into a hug.

"I'm not so sure I'm her favorite person Rick. I get the impression she thinks I've been stringing you along and I admit it might have seemed that way, but it wasn't intentional."

"Water under the bridge Kate. Things are going to be different now. You'll see. And she'll come around, I'm certain of it. My amazing and brilliant daughter only wants me to be happy and YOU make me happy, so there you have it." He said with a kiss. She didn't look too convinced. "Kate. It doesn't matter what anyone thinks, except us. We're both single, consenting adults – well, you are anyway – so we're free to do as we choose. Now let's eat. I'm starving."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Thirty minutes later breakfast was finished and the dishes were mounted in the sink; he'd wash them later. Satisfied she'd stuffed herself, he told her it was time to talk. He took her by the hand and brought her in to his office and sat her down on the couch.

He sighed heavily running a hand through his hair. He was nervous as a cat and she was starting to get a little worried. But nothing was going to ruin this day for them, nothing, so she tried to put him at ease. "It can't be _that_ bad castle."

"Um, yeah actually it can Kate." He said locking eyes with her. He prayed she'd forgive him. "You know, you look tired. Maybe we should take a nap? Doesn't a nap sound good?"

"Quit stalling Rick. Just tell me what's wrong and get it off your chest already. You're starting to scare me."

Time to rip off the band-aid, as they say. "We writers prefer to show, not tell." He said picking up the remote from his desk and turning on the big screen. The board lit up and her photo appeared. He looked at her longingly. "Forgive me."

He hit another button and her face was surrounded by all the main players on her mother's case. Kate's mouth hung open in disbelief. What the hell was he up to? She was afraid to ask but forced herself. "What is all this Castle?"

"It's everything I have on your mother's case. There are…some things you don't know. Things that I haven't told you in order to keep you safe."

"What are you talking about Castle? What the hell have you been keeping from me? Tell me."

"Roy. He sent a package with information harmful to the person responsible for your mother's murder. He sent it to someone he trusted, a man with the ability to negotiate on your behalf and keep you alive. His name is Mr. Smith, which is probably not his real name."

"Why would you hide this from me? Why?"

"I was trying to protect you."

"Protect me? Protect me how? By lying to me with the only new lead I've had for a year? What exactly was your role in all of this?"

"He said I was supposed to keep you from investigating, encourage you to drop it."

"Oh, my God. I cannot believe you…" she said shocked. "You should have just told me. Instead you treated me as if I was a child. I'm a cop Castle, I don't need protecting."

"This is bigger than you can handle Kate. And cop or not, they shot you once, and they'll do it again in a heartbeat. You have to let this go. I know you Kate. You would have ran head on, straight into this, and you'd be dead by now. I refused to let that happen."

"You had no right, this is MY life Castle." She said.

"I know that now. It is your life and I hated keeping it from you, but you have to understand Kate, I only did it because I love you. I almost lost you once. I couldn't take the risk. You have to believe me."

"You say you love me? And this is how you show someone you love them? By lying?"

"Damn straight I love you! I'm completely in love with you, but you've known that for a whole year now haven't you Kate? You heard me the day you were shot, and you let me go on believing I was alone in this relationship. So I know you understand how lying can sometimes seem like a good idea at the time."

She had the decency to look guilty. "I was working through my issues."

"I was trying to save your life."

They had come to a standstill; tempers were rising, each partner more stubborn than the other.

"You should have told me sooner." Kate said. "Instead you waited until after we…oh my God, you waited until _after_ we had sex to tell me the truth!"

"Don't even go there Kate. I wanted to tell you earlier but you wouldn't listen. And it wasn't just _sex_. We both know it was more than that."

"You should have told me first!"

"Are you saying you regret what happened in that bedroom?"

"No. Yes. I don't know what I'm saying right now. I'm so damn mad at you! You should have told me before we went into that bedroom. You should have blurted it out for god sakes!"

"I tried, I really did, but you were all over me. I was helpless."

"I was ALL OVER YOU!" she yelled. "That's your defense?"

"Yes, you were, and the feeling was mutual, I assure you, but there was simply no stopping you. You were a hellcat! I tried, I really did, but that part's all your own fault – you and your feminine wiles." He realized his mistake a moment too late. She had that look on her face. The one she used on suspects twice her size she knew were guilty. Right before she put them away for life in prison. Crap. He forgot to put her gun in his safe. He starts back-peddling.

"I couldn't help myself. You overwhelmed me! I had everything I'd ever wanted right there in that room and I lost control of the situation Kate – I admit it, I'm not Superman. Actually, I'm more of a Green Lantern, bit of a bad-boy and slightly more flawed."

Her face is getting redder, she's not laughing and she looks about ready to scream. "Castle. FOCUS!" This was not going as smoothly as he'd hoped.

"Kate. I planned on confessing everything to you last night, but we had the stake-out and the wedding, and by the time we got home it was too late - we were both exhausted. And then this morning, you were all _I'm positively famished Castle_ and _We don't need words, Castle…_"He mimicked, missing her eyes widen in anger. "And the next thing I know you're kissing me and touching me…quite nicely I might add, and I even tried feeding you, but you refused to leave my bedroom!"

Her mouth hung open in horror. _What an ass!_ _How can she be so in love with this infuriating man?_ She needed to get the hell out of there. Away from him. Now. She needed time to absorb everything he'd told her, to clear her head. She turned away from him, marched across the room and headed straight into his bedroom. He followed on her heels still talking.

"Where are you going?" He demanded to know, although panic was starting to set in. _She's running._ "Don't leave." He pleaded.

She completely ignored him and angrily picked up her scattered clothes, removing his borrowed t-shirt and boxers, not caring that he was watching. She re-dressed quickly. If she didn't get out of his loft soon, she was going to say things she'd regret, things she wouldn't be able to take back. She had to get her temper in check before they discussed this any further so she didn't kill him first. It wasn't boding well for him.

"Don't run from this, Kate. Stay here and face me, talk it out."

"I'm not running Castle, we'll talk later, but I need to get out of here and calm down. I get why you think you did what you did, but it doesn't change the fact that I'm so mad at you right now I can't even see straight." She looked around the bedroom. She was fuming. "God, what I really want to do now is just hit something."

"Hit me."

"What?"

"I said hit me." He grabbed a pillow and shoved it in her hands, making her take it. He was serious. The man was out of his mind.

"Here, go on. Do it. It'll make you feel better. I can take it. Give it your best shot." He raised an eyebrow in challenge. She had a death-grip on the pillow and her knuckles were turning white. She was thinking it over.

"I don't want to hit you Castle." She soooo wanted to hit him. He was being ridiculous, and making her as crazy as he was. She tried to hand him back the pillow but he refused to take it.

"You know you want to. Come on Kate I dare you." He smirked, not believing her for a second, egging her on. "I double-dog dare…"

The sheer blunt force took him by surprise. He really should have seen it coming.

"Ow…you." He added weakly. She'd slugged him as hard as she possibly could with it, right smack across his head, nearly toppling him over in the process. _Note to self: The woman was freakishly strong, buy softer pillows._

"You're right Castle." She said, tossing the pillow to the floor, then looking him in the eyes, tongue in cheek. "I do feel better. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm outta here." She grabbed her purse and bolted from the bedroom, throwing open the entrance door, making her escape into the hallway.

"Kate, wait!" he cried following her in his underwear. She'd hit the elevator button before he could stop her. "Please don't leave like this. Everything was so perfect. _I'm sorry, you're sorry. I love you, you love me. _Remember? Stay and talk this out with me." She shook her head and then hit the elevator button ten times.

"What are you doing for dinner? Have dinner with me." He asked, leaning on the frame of the elevator door, trying to appear debonair in his current attire. All this earned him was a Beckett eye-roll.

"_You_ have a date with your daughter and mother later tonight, and as it so happens, I also have plans." She said, as the elevator doors opened and she got in. "We'll talk about this later Castle. I need some space."

"What? No kiss good-bye?" He asked giving it one last shot as the elevator doors closed in his face. He's left staring at them, shirtless and in his boxers, unable to run after her in his current state of undress. _What the hell does she mean, she has plans?_

He stumbled back into his apartment, slamming the door behind him. "Damnit!" He yelled to an empty loft.

"Well then…that went well."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Down at the precinct Javier answered his ringing cell phone.

Ryan moved closer to his partner for an update. They were both dying to know what happened on the stake-out last night. All Karpowski could tell them was that Caskett dropped off the witness early this morning and that Gates gave them the day off. Ryan could hear a woman's excitement echoing loudly through Javier's phone and his eyes widened in anticipation. Javier didn't say a word for awhile, letting her yell, then finally said "No way! Okay. Got it. Will do. Uh, huh. Uh, huh. Got it. Okay, yeah. Right. I'll talk to you later." He disconnected the call and let out a resounding "Yes!"

"What happened? Tell me! Was that Lanie?" Ryan asked.

"Wrong number." Javi said with a straight face.

"Very funny. Now tell me what the hell she said."

"Alexis called Lanie and told her Kate stayed the night at Castle's place."

"That's it. That's not very big news." Ryan said. "They got in pretty late, so she stayed over."

"In his bed, numb-nuts – with Castle." Javi added, as if speaking to a child.

"Oh." He grinned, the realization settling in. "So the stake-out worked. I'll be damned." They took a moment to feed the birds. "What do we do now? I mean, besides up our ante in the office pool."

"Change of plans. I have to call Paul and let him know not to come tonight. Martha already knows, so you call Jenny, and then ask her to call Madison. They'll know what to do. Then tonight - we par-tay, my brother."

Ryan called his wife and after he ended the call he turned to Javier. He looked confused and a little afraid.

"What?" Javier asked him. "What did she say when you told her about our two resident love birds?"

"Oh, she was thrilled. I think I have only partial hearing left in one ear." He said tugging his right one.

"Then what's wrong?" Javier asked.

"It was what she said next that worries me. Jenny told me she called and invited Gates, and her husband to the party tonight."

"Yeah, so what? Mayor said she had to make "nicey, nice" Javier said using finger quotes. "Remember?"

"Yeah, so she and her husband are both coming tonight, but that's not the part that scared me." Ryan replied. "Jen said and I quote, "Captain Gates was really sweet about it, said she would be delighted to attend, and thanked her for the invitation. Jenny thought she was really nice. Can you believe that? What the hell?"

"Dude? Are you sure Jenny hasn't taken any bumps to the head recently?"

"Pretty sure."

"Maybe Gates is getting caught up in the romance of it all." Javier said.

Two beats of silence later and they both burst out laughing.

"Yeah, she's a regular walking Hallmark card." Ryan laughed, missing his partner's warning.

"Detectives. Working hard I see." Ryan's eyes shut at the sound of his boss's dulcet tones behind him. _Damn, the woman was stealthy._

"Afternoon Captain." They both said trying to look innocent, returning to their paperwork, and fiddling nonsensically with the office supplies on their desks. She gave them the once over, scary eyes piercing their souls, then uncrossed her arms. "Are you done with the Miller Case?" She asked them.

"Almost finished Sir. Just wrapping up our final report." Javier said.

"You'll have it on your desk before we leave tonight, Sir." Ryan added.

"See that it is." She told them sternly. "You boys wouldn't want to be late for the party now, would you?"

"Right."

"Nope."

She turned to leave but then pivoted back to face Ryan. "Oh, Detective Ryan? Before I forget…I spoke with your lovely wife this morning…." She said, letting it hang there a second for effect, "Thank her again for me for the invitation." Then she turned on her heel and headed back to her office leaving them staring after her. They didn't see her small smile.

"Will do, Sir." Ryan yelled a moment later, after realizing her remark probably warranted a response.

He turned to Javier. "I think I may have just crapped a little in my pants."

"TMI dude."

"Do you think she's up to something?" Ryan asked him.

"Nah. I think you're being an overly suspicious police detective, that's all." Javier replied, wondering the same thing.

"Cause that was just weird. That was weird right?"

"You're being paranoid Bro. Let's finish this report so we can get out of here on time. You heard the lady, we've got a par-tay to go to!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

A/N: A review would make my day. Thanks! The Surprise Party is up next…and don't worry, Castle WILL get another chance to call her out about on calling him a lier when she's just as bad!


	11. The Surprise Party: Conclusion

**Disclaimer: I don't own these crazy kids; alas, they belong to another. This is simply an addiction I get heavily medicated for.**

**Team Caskett**

**Chapter 11**

**The Surprise Party, Conclusion**

_**7:30pm **_

_**THE OLD HAUNT…**_

The party was in full swing, both Castle and Beckett still hadn't arrived, yet you could feel the excitement in the air. The music was playing, drinks were flowing and guests were dressed up in their finest, either mingling or bellied up to the bar. The aroma from the catered buffet and the laughter of the guests drifted idly through the room. The Old Haunt was decorated with streamers and balloons and a huge Happy Belated Birthday Castle banner hung along the far wall that had been signed by everyone. Gifts were piled high upon one of the tables and bets were being taken as to the time of the first public kiss.

Martha and Alexis had reserved the entire bar for the night to ensure enough room for all of the people invited which worked out well since half the precinct was in attendance, including quite a few higher-ups, a couple of famous authors, and a few mystery guests. Oh, and the guy Castle always buys Kate's coffee from. _(What? He sees the guy everyday for four years, of course he's invited.)_

Alexis greeted people as they arrived. She looked gorgeous, very grown up in her red flowing dress despite stifling the desire to _squeee_ every ten minutes. She was excited Kate and her Dad were finally getting together, but a little concerned that he'd been less than forthcoming when she'd spoken to him earlier on the phone. If something magical happened between him and Kate, she'd have thought he'd be in a better mood. She talked animatedly with newlyweds Jenny and Kevin, but couldn't help herself from checking the door every thirty seconds.

"I wish they would get here already." She was going to burst out of her skin if they didn't arrive soon. The suspense was killing her.

"How was your Dad when you talked to him earlier?" Jenny asked.

"Fine. Good. He was good." Alexis replied. They thought she didn't sound entirely convinced and they'd be right. Alexis replayed the conversation she had with her Dad over again her head. "It's just that I expected he'd be on top of the world – but he wasn't. You don't think something went wrong do you? Oh my God! What if he's not coming?"

"I'm sure everything's fine Alexis." Jenny said trying to remain calm. _It was getting late, and Kate should have been here by now. _"Did he say he was coming?"

"Yes."

Kevin checked his watch. "Well, it's only seven-thirty..." He assured her. "…so it's still early. You're worrying too much."

"You're right." She told them, forcing a smile back on her face. She was probably just having a case of the jitters. "I'm being silly. If he said he'll be here, then he'll be here…"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX **

**Four hours earlier…**

**2:30pm Kate Beckett**

Kate was still seeing red as she flagged down the cab and got in. Angry as she was, a part of her knew she was running, and most likely in the wrong direction, that Castle would have every right to view her as irrational, stubborn, obstinate even, but still the pull of her fears led her home; miles away from the man she loved.

As she stared out the window, her thoughts raced with traffic; twisted strains of logic clashing with emotion…

How could he do this?_ He was trying to protect you._ I trusted him. _He may have lied, but you lied to him too - for an entire year. You're a hypocrite. _I wasn't sure he meant it. He thought I was dying. _Don't be obtuse. You've known for awhile he was in love with you. _I was scared._ You were chicken-shit. You let him go on thinking you didn't love him back and he had every right to be furious with you._

By the time she got out of the cab and her feet hit the pavement again, she'd thought about turning around. Maybe she should call him? _You love him and you should have told him so the minute you saw his face when you woke up in the hospital, but you didn't. What the hell were you waiting for? _I had my reasons._ And he had his. _I needed time. _He gave you time. You ran, you took three whole months, and never even called him and yet he forgave you._ I should have stayed and heard him out. _But you didn't Kate, and look at you now - you're still running._

She let herself in to her apartment, checked around to make sure it was safe, and then sat down on the couch with an exhausted sigh, remnants of anger fading quickly into the background. _Despite the fact he was angry with you for ignoring him for three months and wasn't sure you felt the same way; he still showed up to work cases with you day in and day out. Because he's your friend. _He's my best friend. _He's more than just your friend. He loves you._ He found out I lied, which explained his behavior for the last few weeks, and yet…he forgave me again, or we wouldn't have made love this morning. _He tried to tell you beforehand, but you didn't want to listen. You were too busy trying to get in his pants. _

Damn hormones!

With her elbows on her knees and hands covering her face, she sat there and cried for what felt like hours. _Put yourself in his place. He was only trying to protect you. _She missed him. _Wouldn't you do everything in your power to keep him safe if you thought he was in danger? _Yes, of course, I'd do anything._ You over-reacted. _This morning was amazing. We should be together right now._ You need to stop running._

As bad as she'd messed things up, Doctor Burke would be proud. It appeared her therapy _was_ helping; although she still ran, at least now she recognized it for what it was. That _was_ progress; however, she'd be making another appointment on Monday.

Her cell phone rang and she jumped up to answer it. It wasn't Castle though, it was her father. She tried to hide her disappointment.

"Hi Dad."

"Hey Katie. I know you said to meet around six-thirty, but I had some business to take care of in town so I came in early. I thought maybe you'd want to grab a cup of coffee with me before we went to the party."

Her mind was spinning. She had to talk to Castle before she ruined everything. She had to fix this – if it wasn't already too late. She must have hesitated too long because her father asked if she was okay.

"I'm fine Dad. It's nothing." She hedged, but Jim knew his daughter; she was off-kilter.

"Actually Katie, I'm downstairs."

"Come on up Dad and I'll make you coffee. To tell you the truth, I'm glad you're here early. I could really use your perspective on something…"

XXXXXXXXXX

**CASTLE'S LOFT**

**2:45pm Rick Castle**

_I can't believe she left me here. Actually, yes I can. I should have known better. Of course she'd run. It's what she does._ _I should have barricaded the door._ As much as he loved her, she was driving him insane. He plopped himself on the couch. At this rate, he'd never be able to figure women out. The rollercoaster ride they were on made him want to scream. _Everything had been so perfect. They were perfect for each other – in and out of the bedroom. How can she not see this?_ _She said she loved me._ Eventually she'd come to her senses, he knew it. Until then he'd just have to live with it and be patient. Once she calmed down they'd talk.

The longer he sat there, the madder he got, and he started pacing the room.

_No damnit! Not whenever she was ready. They were going to talk tonight. She doesn't get to call all the shots._ He had dinner with his mother and Alexis tonight then he was going to find her and make her talk to him – whether she wanted to or not. He wasn't letting this go on any longer. _Damnit, she makes me nuts. She's so fucking stubborn, and exasperating, and infuriating, and amazing. Scratch that last one – I'm still mad at her…thick-headed, hypocritical, uncompromising, beautiful, challenging. _"Aaahhhh!" he cried. "She lied too. What the hell?"

His cell phone rang and he froze. Maybe it was her. He grabbed it, quickly checking the display. It wasn't Kate though - it was Alexis.

"Hi honey." He said.

"Hey Dad. Did you get my note? You're still meeting us, right?"

"Yes. Thanks. I miss you too pumpkin and I'll be there. I promise. Eight pm. You having fun with your grandmother?"

"Definitely. She's keeping me busy, busy, busy." Maybe she'd try a little digging. "You know Grams and I were talking earlier Dad. You should ask Detective Beckett to join us tonight. You know, if you want to that is."

"I believe Detective Beckett mentioned she already has plans this evening Alexis." He replied, trying hard not to clench his teeth.

_Other plans? Oh, right, Kate couldn't very well tell him about the party._ "Maybe another time then. Okay, well, I just wanted to check in with you. I'll see you later at the Old Haunt, eight pm – don't be late! Grams is calling me, so I have to go. Love you Dad."

"Love you too Alexis."

He was going to take a shower, get dressed and then relax. And while he was undergoing this forced relaxation, he was going to think long and hard about how best to handle his upcoming conversation with Beckett tonight.

**XXXXXXXXXX **

**KATE'S APARTMENT**

**4:30pm**

Kate let her father in and the first thing she did was give him a big hug. This was not unusual in and of itself; however, this time she was gripping him so tightly he couldn't breathe. She wasn't letting go, she was shaking, and if he wasn't mistaken, she'd been crying. He hadn't seen his daughter cry since his wife had died.

"What's wrong Katie? Are you okay?"

She could give him her standard answer again; she was fine, but she didn't want to. She wanted her Daddy. How ridiculous was that at her age? "Oh, Dad, I did something incredibly stupid and I'm not sure I can fix it, so no, I'm not okay." She released him, wiped at her eyes and then took a seat on the couch. He sat down next to her.

"What happened?"

"It's Castle. I screwed up."

"Ah. Rick Castle." Now he understood.

"Why did you say his name like that?" She asked. "It's almost like you expected this."

Always the detective, his daughter. He'd better tread lightly. "It's just that you haven't come to me with boy troubles in eighteen years Katie. Allow your old Dad to savor the moment would you? And the reason you haven't is because those men weren't important enough to you. This one? This one you're in love with. Or as your mom would say "he's your one and done." She looked at him with her mouth hanging open and then burst into tears. Jim had been trying to help, but it seemed he'd caused more damage.

Her father was right about Castle. He was her one and done. And she just blew her chance with him. What in the hell was she thinking? She wiped her eyes and forced herself to stop crying.

"Katie, tell me what happened. Maybe I can help."

How do you tell your father you slept with a man you'd been lying to, then afterwards found out he lied to you about your mother's murder investigation, causing you to run home like a scared kitten?

She got up and started pacing the living room. She hated bringing up her mother's case to her Dad. He's been through so much already, but he deserved to know. "Castle's been lying to me Dad. As leverage for my safety, Roy sent a package with incriminating evidence on Mom's case to a mystery man named "Mr. Smith". Castle even met with him. He's been keeping me from digging any deeper into mom's case because the mystery man told him they'd kill me if I didn't stop investigating. He should have told me. He's known for about a year now, but he just told me today. How can I ever trust him again?"

"I see." Jim said, taking a seat on the couch. "Is that it? He should have told you the truth, you're right, but apparently you can trust him - with your life. His heart was in the right place. Don't make this something it's not. You know he was only trying to protect you Katie. Awhile back, I even went to Castle myself to ask him to make you stop investigating - to knock some sense into your head. You wouldn't listen to reason. Katie, this isn't what your mother would want for you. You've already spent over thirteen years on this quest of yours. Your mother wouldn't want you to waste your life away – she'd want you to live it. As for me, I've already lost my wife, no way in hell I want to lose my daughter. Rick's right. I don't care what's in the package Roy sent that man. You need to let this go."

"I know Dad. I know it's time." She said. "And I think I'm finally ready." She was amazed by how much she meant it. She felt freer and was able to breathe easier, just saying the words out loud.

"Thank God."

"There's more." She said. "I may have over-reacted to his news. I'm not proud of it, but when he told me I sort of went ballistic. You see, his timing was…inopportune." She closed her eyes tightly and forced the words out, squelching down her embarrassment – this was her father. "We'd already gotten _together_, and then he told me. He tried to tell me _before_, but I never gave him the chance."

She waited; mortified, watching her father's face and could see the moment it clicked. "Ah. Okay, so his timing leaves something to be desired. It doesn't change the fact that you both love each other. You do love him, don't you?"

"Yes. I do." It felt amazing to admit it.

"So then it doesn't really matter. Now go make things right with him. Apologize. I'm sure he'll forgive you."

Kate hoped her father was right, but knew Castle had every reason to stay mad at her. After all, she'd just left the man she proclaimed to love standing in his hallway with nothing on but his underwear. She had a listening disorder.

"I'm such an idiot!" she cried covering her face with her hands. _Oh, no. He must hate me right now._ She's going to beg for his forgiveness.

Her father just chuckled. "No, honey you're not. You just finally took the blinders off, is all."

"Oh, God, Dad -there's more." Might as well fess up the rest of it. She lied to Castle too. She cringed and then blurted it out.

"Did I mention he told me he loved me the day I was shot, but I never acknowledged it?" She felt stupid even hearing herself say it. She closed her eyes tight, bracing herself for his response.

"No. In the three months you spent with me while you recovered, not once, did you ever mention that."

"I wasn't ready then Dad. And when I woke up I was technically still dating Josh. Also, I wasn't positive Castle didn't say it because he thought I was on the verge of dying." She waited as her father rolled his eyes at her. She could hardly blame him. Then she defended herself. "I realize now I was wrong. I've been seeing a shrink for the past year – Dr. Burke. He's been helping me deal with my issues, and I can honestly say I wasn't ready until now to face everything."

"Well, then. You'd better make it a _really_ good apology Katie, and perhaps another appointment with Dr. Burke wouldn't hurt anyone." He said making her smile. "Come here honey." He said opening his arms, and embracing her in the kind of bear hug only a father can give. "It'll all work out."

"Thanks Dad." And as her Dad held her tight, she prayed he was right.

"You're welcome. Now get going, and put on a pretty dress. The clock's ticking..."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX **

_**7:35pm **_

_**THE OLD HAUNT…**_

Lanie and Esposito cuddled in a corner booth, their heads intimately pressed together, the aura of romance in the air apparently contagious. Since they'd founded Team Caskett he'd found Lanie much more susceptible to the possibility of moving their relationship to the next level. He wasn't satisfied with just casually dating her anymore. He was in love with her and he wanted more. He wanted… what Beckett and Castle had. If only he could convince Lanie.

Since Lanie and Kate were a lot alike his hope was Lanie would see how happy Castle and Beckett were together and then in turn, give their own relationship a chance. All this match-making stuff had given him a few ideas on how to help things along, and he was currently working on a plan to knock Lanie's socks off. He noticed his lady love amused by something at the bar and turned to see what was so funny. She'd been watching Madison up at the bar entertaining the masses.

Madison was in her element, and the center of attention surrounded by at least a dozen off-duty cops. She was having herself a very good time.

Roselyn Karpowski worked her way through the room, pen and paper in hand, taking everyone's wagers on the time of the first public kiss.

The Mayor himself was present and seated at a booth along with Martha, Gates and her husband, while Martha played the charming hostess. Even Victoria Gates was laughing at Martha's antidotes, the foreign sound catching the surprised eye of many a partygoer. Her husband was surprisingly friendly and cordial.

The door opened, and everyone turned to look holding their breath. It turned out only to be Judge Markway, his wife and a young couple in their party nobody seemed to recognize except for Martha who made her way up to the entrance to greet them all fondly. Behind them stood Esposito's new BFF or as Castle had officially dubbed him _Fucking Paul from Vice_.

"Uh, oh." Esposito said aloud when he saw who came through the door.

"Who's that?" Lanie asked Esposito, following his line of vision. She had no idea who the man was standing in the doorway.

"Don't freak out Chica, but that would be Fucking Paul. What the hell is he doing here? I left him a voicemail."

"Fucking Paul!" Lanie said quite loudly, making quite a few heads turn. She lowered her voice and whisper yelled at him. "You told me you cancelled on him. Javier Esposito I am going to kill you. You go on over there right now and get rid of him before Castle shows."

"I'm on it." He said, rising from the table, headed towards the entrance. He had to remain calm. Javier nudged Ryan's arm as he passed by garnering his partner's attention. He nodded to the door and mouthed to him that it was Fucking Paul and Ryan's eyes went wide.

"Be right back ladies." Ryan told his wife and Alexis who both looked confused by the sudden interruption. "Little emergency. Nothing to worry about. Everything's fine." He left them and hurried to catch up with Javier who was headed straight for the door. Ryan grabbed Javier's arm before he got there.

"I thought you called him?" Ryan asked.

"I did. Now help me get rid of him before my butt's in a sling with Lanie. I hate it when my butt's in a sling with Lanie. Totally kills my mojo." Javier told him. He pulled away and approached Fucking Paul.

"Paul, my man. How you doing?" Javier says shaking his hand, fake smile and chuckle at the ready.

"Good Javier. How are you? I'm not late am I? I came straight from work." He told them. "Hi." He said to extending his hand to Ryan. "Nice to meet you. I'm Paul."

"Nice to meet you." Ryan replied with a smile, shaking his hand. _Actually you're Fucking Paul, buddy._

"No, no, you're not late." Javier said nervously while continuously checking the front door. "But I'm guessing you didn't get my message."

"No, I didn't actually." Fucking Paul said as he pulled out his cell phone to check it. "The battery's dead. Would you look at that! You look nice by the way Javier. Great suit."

"Thanks." Javier said hastily. "I know this guy…excellent tailor. Does great work...I'll give you his number."

Ryan watched in amusement as Fucking Paul checked out an oblivious Javier, who was completely unaware of the eyes being made at him. Ryan was going to get a lot of mileage out of this one.

"Well, thanks for coming by tonight bro, but there's been a bit of a mix-up." Javier told him. "You see, Castle and Beckett, they finally got their act together so you don't have to do anything now. We don't need you to pretend to be the one who sent all those gifts and flowers to her anymore. There's no need to keep making Castle jealous if they're already together."

"Oh, sure. I understand. That's nice, they finally figured things out. Who doesn't like a good love story? It's sweet." Fucking Paul said. "So I guess you don't need me to stay then." He scanned the room, slightly embarrassed, trying not to look downtrodden. _Awkward… _And too bad, since he'd been looking forward to getting to know Detective Esposito more.

"You know, Paul…" Ryan said, interrupting the exchange and ignoring Javier's darting eyes. "I was thinking…there's no reason why you still can't stay and hang out. The party's going to be great. Castle and Beckett should be here soon. It's a celebration, the night is young, there's plenty of food and drink…you should stay. Hang out. Isn't that right Javier?"

"Sure." He told Fucking Paul who perked up immediately. Javier reflected on a hundred different ways to kill Ryan – if Lanie didn't kill him first. "I need a drink." Javier said. "I mean, who needs a drink?" He corrected, leading them to the bar.

"Great! If you're sure?" Fucking Paul said, grinning ear to ear.

"Absolutely!" Ryan said, grinning even wider.

XXXXXXXXXX

**7:40pm**

The door opened and in walks a Beckett, only it's Jim Beckett and he's alone. Martha made a b-line straight to him, gave him a hug and welcome, and looked around for Kate.

"Where's Kate? I thought you were coming together."

"I thought so too, but she's running a little late." Jim told her. "She'll be here soon though, don't worry."

She pulled him aside to privately discuss their children.

"How did she sound? Was she positively floating on a cloud?" Martha asked smiling. She was so happy for them.

"Um, no….actually, they'd had a fight. But everything's fine now. I think I may have talked her off the ledge. Jim added, trying not to alarm her. "I have to say Martha…it was a good thing you gave me a heads up about this _Team Caskett_ business before I went over there. I was armed and ready just in case something like this happened. I love my daughter very much. She is a highly intelligent young woman, but when it comes to matters of the heart…well, let's just say it was touch and go there for awhile. She only told me what she thought I could handle, but I'm not so old that I couldn't figure out the rest of it."

"Uh, oh." Martha said nervously. You know what the fight was about then?"

"He told her."

"Everything?"

"Everything."

"Finally." Martha said breathing a sigh of relief. She thought her son should have come clean about Johanna Beckett's murder case months ago. "Well, good but I'm guessing she didn't take it too well? Yes, well of course she didn't. That's to be expected. She'd be furious at first, but then they'd make up. Are you saying they didn't make up? That doesn't make any sense Jim. I just assumed… since they were together…Alexis said she saw them…" Jim watches Martha as the light slowly dawns.

"Oh, good lord. He told her after they got together didn't he?" She said before looking skyward. "Oh Richard! Richard. Richard. Richard. Where did I go wrong?" She added with dramatic flair.

He nodded, but quickly set her straight. "Yes, but believe it or not, your son was Not at fault here Martha. And Kate knows that. At least she realizes it now – once she calmed down and came to her senses. Apparently, Rick tried to tell her beforehand but she wasn't listening. Here's the abbreviated version…they got together, he confessed all, she didn't handle the truth very well, they fought, she bolted, and now she's going to apologize. That's the gist of it anyway. I'm her father so those are all the details I really care to know, thank you very much. She's going to apologize to him as soon as she sees him. She would have earlier, but she ran out of time and didn't want to do it over the phone. She promised me she would face this head on."

"So, they fought and didn't talk it out. Shocking." She said sarcastically. "You know it's possible they may have a few…communication issues." He chuckled at that. "I know my son, and he has on occasion been known to put his foot in his mouth. I blame myself; taught him too many words."

"Come to think of it, Johanna and I had a few of those communication issues time and again too. I'm afraid Kate may have inherited my stubbornness and also her mother's strong will. Just how tough is your son?" He asked, his eyes twinkling.

"Don't worry Jim – Richard can take it. He's tougher than he looks. And she'll need a strong will if she's going to be with him – he's quite a handful. But let's think positive. Hopefully, their shortcomings will skip a generation completely and we'll have perfect grandchildren. I got lucky with Alexis."

"They're good for each other. Johanna would have loved Rick, you know." He said wistfully. "He's brought the light back into Kate's life. Not that you'll tell him that anytime soon, I hope. Oh, God, he'd just love that, wouldn't he?" He laughed.

"Of course not darling. Do I look mad? I love my son dearly, but his ego has to fit through doors. There are building codes. Your secret is safe with me." She said grinning. "So, you're sure they'll be alright?"

"Unless something unforeseeable happens, I don't think there's reason to worry. I think I may have talked some sense into her."

"Thank God. I hope Richard's okay." She said looking at her watch again. It was nearing eight pm. "Maybe I should call and check on him?" She tried calling him from her cell, but there was no answer.

"He's probably already on his way over here and didn't hear the phone ringing." Jim tried to assure her.

She'd give Richard ten minutes and then she was trying him again. In the meantime, she refused to panic. They were meant to be and it would all work out. "So what do you really think of all this Jim? Do you think our children will be angry when they discover we've all been meddling in their affairs?"

"Maybe, knowing my Kate, but she'll get over it. Rick on the other hand I imagine will think it's hilarious." He laughed. "It's a nice thing what you've done here, trying to get them to come to their collective senses. They've got a lot of very good friends and Kate's going to need each and every one of them if she's going to remain safe."

"You know, I've tried on my own with Kate over the years to nudge those two together, but she always gave me the _good friends_ line. Kids. Just how stupid do they think we are?" They both shook their heads. "I've talked Rick up whenever I could, believe me. I want them together probably as much as you do. He's got her best interests at heart and any fool can see they're in love. I've known that since I'd met him. And if anyone can keep her safe, and convince her to stop pursuing her mother's case, it's your son. They've got my blessing."

"Good. Then you and I are in complete agreement because I adore your daughter. She's the best thing that ever happened to him, besides Alexis of course." Martha said, looking at her watch. "They should be here soon. How about I buy you a soda Jim?"

"Why I'd love one Martha." He said, offering his arm to escort her across the room.

"Oh Jim, have you met the mayor?"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**7:50pm**

The door opened and everyone turned around. It was Kate and she was carrying a big box, presumably Castle's birthday cake. The room went quiet as everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at her entrance. She was alone, but turned around to see if anyone was behind her because she wasn't sure what they were all gaping at. From the looks she received you'd think she forgot to take the curlers out of her hair.

"Hi." She said, hoping someone would come to her rescue and help her with the huge box. It was getting pretty heavy. "Little help?" She asked the room.

Ryan nervously jumped to her aid and took the cake from her. "Sure. Hey Beckett! Here, let me get that for you." He said, and she thanked him. He left with the cake and she quickly ran her fingers through her hair just in case. Nope. Nothing.

Everyone turned back to what they were doing, tried to act natural and the noise level rose again as Kate surveyed the room. She knew most of the people there, but still something felt off. And unless it was her imagination, now people were intentionally trying -not- to look her way. And was that Perlmutter?

Lanie, Jenny, Alexis, and Madison jumped into action and came running over to say hello to Kate. Hugs and greetings were exchanged. "It's so good to see you Maddy. What a nice surprise. I didn't even know you were coming tonight."

"Oh, I called everyone in my Dad's cell phone." Alexis quickly covered. "We figured you'd like having Madison join in the fun. Isn't that right Madison?"

"Yup. Absolutely." Madison agreed with a smile. "Fun is practically my middle name. I go where the fun is."

Panic set in as Kate did a mental roll-call of women over twenty, possibly on his contact list.

"Yes you certainly do Maddie, and I'm happy to see you too, but Alexis…" Kate continued, amazed at her ability to still speak, "…you realize there are probably a lot of numbers in his phone for people he might _not_ want to see here tonight, right. I mean, some might just be business acquaintances. You could have called me. I would have been happy to help you figure out who was who." _The image of hordes of women fighting over cabs to get to The Old Haunt flashed through Kate's mind. _

"I guess you're right, I probably should have, but I know how busy you are."

"You can call me anytime Alexis. I'm never too busy for you."

"Thanks. I appreciate it." Alexis smiled. "Hopefully, I called all the right people. And if not, like Dad always says, _the more the merrier_."

"The man does like a big party." Kate smiled. She may have had too much coffee with her Dad earlier. "Especially, when it's for him." _God knows who's going to show up here tonight._

"So, Kate…" Lanie said. "…you look nice tonight. That's some dress you've got on there, girlfriend."

"Thanks, so do you Lanie. Actually, all you ladies are looking especially gorgeous tonight. All this for Castle? He's going to be beside himself. And look at the place. It looks fantastic! How come no one called me for help decorating? I told Martha I would be happy to help."

"Oh, this?" Alexis said, gesturing to the room. "This was nothing. It took no time at all to decorate. We had it covered. And you did help – you brought the cake. Thanks. Your Dad is here, by the way, over there with Grams."

"Oh, good." Kate said spotting him with Martha across the room. She waved to them. "I'll go over and say hello in a minute. So, what's the ETA on your father Alexis?"

"He should be here soon."

"We thought maybe he'd be coming with you to the party." Lanie said casually.

"Um, no. We were out pretty late last night on the stake-out then we…went our separate ways. I had some things to take care of today. This place is packed! Castle's going to be so surprised." Kate said, trying to change the subject. Lanie eyed her friend suspiciously. Kate was nervous. Kate Beckett was never nervous. Something was up.

"You okay?" Lanie asked.

"Oh, sure. I'm fine." She tried to smile and not fidget, but the girls were all observing her. It was more than a little unnerving. She checked her watch. It was eight o'clock on the nose. Saved by the bell. "It's eight o'clock. He should be here any minute. Let's step away from the entrance." They all seemed to go with that except for Lanie. As they all moved into the room to watch in unison for Castle to arrive, Lanie tugged her on the arm, looked her in the eyes and asked again if she was okay. "Tell you later." She whispered.

**8:10pm**

"SURPRISE!" They all yelled when he came through the door.

Surprise? _Surprise for what?_ He was completely floored; and confused. _What am I supposed to be surprised about? _He didn't have a minute to think more on it because Alexis nearly barreled him over, embracing him in a huge hug as his mother planted a kiss on his cheek. Martha could tell he was clueless so helped him out. "Happy Belated Birthday, darling." She whispered in his ear. She nodded to the banner across the wall. He smiled broadly, flashing his pearly whites around the room, and then whispered back to his mother, "You know my birthday was weeks ago, right Mother?"

"Yes, thank you Richard. I still have the stretch marks. Go with it darling. Kate's here by the way, in case you're interested." That got his attention. So this is what her _plans_ were for tonight. He was feeling better already.

"Were you surprised Dad?" Alexis asked beaming.

"You got me, kiddo. That's for sure. I never saw it coming." He replied hugging her back.

He looked around the room, amazed to find so many friends, but there was one he didn't see, his eyes searching her out. He could feel her presence though; she was watching him, he knew it.

In an instant, he was surrounded. It was chaos. Everyone came up to greet him. The ladies all kissed him, the men shook his hand, hugged him, and patted him on the back. There were congratulations, joking and laughing, but still no Kate.

"Alexis, how on earth did you get all these people here?"

"Easy. I copied your contact list from your cell phone."

"You stole my cell phone?"

"I prefer to think of it as borrowing, but technically yes. I'm stealthy that way."

"You certainly are."

Meanwhile, Kate watched from afar, trying to get up her nerve to go over there.

"This is the part where you go over and say hello, Happy Birthday." Perlmutter droned in her ear from his perch on the barstool. His voice pulled her out of her reverie and she started to breathe again.

"Yeah. Thanks Perlmutter." She replied, to his already retreating back.

She moved up closer but kept her distance as he worked the crowd until it finally, slowly started to dissipate, with most people headed to the bar, buffet or to mingle. He still hadn't spotted her yet. She asked the bartender for a little liquid courage then turned around. The noise level in the room rose exponentially.

Someone tapped Castle on the shoulder and the next thing he knew he was being pulled into a smothering kiss. He tried to pull away, but she over-powered him, took him by surprise. He found his bearings again, removed himself from her clutches and looked directly into the eyes of a smiling Jacinda. _Oh, no. No. No. No. Are you kidding me?_

"Hi Ricky. Happy birthday." She exclaimed, still clutching his face. He could feel a thick layer of her lipstick on his mouth and he wiped it away with his sleeve.

"Jacinda! What the hell are you doing here?" He asked, shocked to see her.

"I had a layover so I thought I'd pop in and say hello." She said. "I took a chance you'd be here. And look at my good luck - there's a party going on. I didn't think you'd mind if I crashed your party Ricky." She said seductively pulling at his tie, as she made a move to kiss him again.

"Jacinda. No." He said moving away as if she'd burned him. He put as much distance between them as he could, with one hand on her shoulder, making space between them. She started pouting immediately. He needed to get rid of her – now. He caught Esposito's eye from behind Jacinda and mouthed _help_. Esposito's eyes went wide. Rick could feel Kate's eyes upon him. _I'm a dead man._ "She's right behind me isn't she?" He asked Esposito, who simply nodded. "Of course she is."

He slowly turned around and as he'd expected there she was, leaning against the bar, staring straight at him, Kate Beckett. They both stopped breathing for a second the moment their eyes met. His eyes went wide while hers were on fire. She was clenching the glass she was holding so tight he was surprised it didn't shatter. Her lips were pursed and her face was red, but she didn't utter a word.

"Holy crap." Jenny said.

"That so, did not just happen." Lanie added, turning to Kate who was still staring at Castle.

"Let's get the bitch!" Madison exclaimed loud enough for him to hear.

Oh, my God, it was about to get ugly. He had to get rid of Jacinda and fast. No good could come of this. He shook his head at Kate and tried to convey with his eyes that it wasn't what it looked like, although he knew exactly what it looked like. Kate calmly put her glass down on the bar and turned on her heel with Lanie following closely behind her.

"Well now, that _was_ unforeseeable" Jim Beckett said to Martha as he watched his daughter storm off.

Jacinda was still waiting on an explanation. Someone put a drink in his hand, probably Esposito. He downed it quickly and put the glass on a table before turning back to Jacinda.

"Jacinda. I'm sorry. But you have to leave. Now. There has been a recent development, occurring after I met you, and there is a woman in here, one that I love very much, who would not be pleased by your presence. You need to leave. I'm sorry."

"Oh. I see. It's that police detective, isn't it? The one you work with. The one you write the books about. I saw the way she looked at you." She said, turning angry. Sure, they'd been together just for fun, but she didn't like being tossed aside.

"Yes. And she has very good aim."

"Okay. Fine. I'm leaving. But Rick, do me a favor?"

"Sure. Anything."

"Next time…" She told him before storming out. "…fly United."

"Humph, I would have had the blonde throw the drink in his face." Michael Connelly said to James Patterson.

"Nah, too cliché." he replied.

"Still…I would have made it work."

Castle was left staring at the door not knowing what to say or what to do next. He was pretty confident he'd just passed into the fifth dimension of hell – and this on his belated birthday, of all days. _Where does one go from there?_ He did the first thing that came to mind, and walked over to the bar to order another drink.

He suspected recent events had not gone unnoticed since most of the guests flocking him earlier had left him alone to suffer in silence. He looked to his left and did a double-take. Will Sorenson was leaning up against the bar next to him. He turned to his right and found Tom Demming flanked on his other side. So much for solitude. "What the hell are you two doing here?" He asked them, praying the surprises would stop soon.

"We were invited, dude. Wouldn't miss this for the world." Tom said with a smirk, before popping some peanuts in his mouth. The bartender handed Castle his drink, which he then downed.

"So, I'm guessing you both witnessed that?" He asked.

"Castle, everyone witnessed that." Will said taking a swig of his beer. "But, hey, you were ambushed. Wasn't your fault." He shrugged.

"Sure. Kate will understand." Tom told him.

"You think?" Castle asked them hopefully.

"No."

"Not really."

"You're fucked."

"Royally."

"Oh God." He cried, hanging his head down low and smacking it on the bar. "I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but you're both probably right." He told them picking up his head, which was now pounding.

"Wanna play darts?" Tom asked him cheerfully.

"Thanks, but no." He told them picking his head up again. "I'd better stay here and face the music. She can't stay in there forever."

"K. Happy birthday." Tom said, walking away.

"Good luck Castle." Will said slapping him on the back, before following Demming for a game of darts.

"Don't worry. These things have a way of working themselves out." The guy now sitting next to him said. "Anyone can see you two are soul mates."

"I always thought so." Rick answered, perking up a bit. He had no idea who this kind soul was, but prayed he was right.

"I'm sorry, but do I know you?" Castle asked, offering his hand. "Rick Castle."

"Pleasure to finally meet you and no, we've never actually met, although I feel like I know you. I'm Paul…" He said shaking his hand. "…from Vice. My you've got quite a grip there big guy."

Castle just stared at him, pretty sure he was being _Punk'd._ He looked around for cameras. He was about to ask Fucking Paul what he was doing at his belated surprise birthday party and demand he stop sending gifts to his girlfriend when they were interrupted.

"Hey!" Ryan said slapping Castle on the back, and snapping him out of his daze. "I see you've met Paul. Hey Paul. Having fun?" Fucking Paul nodded and smiled. "Paul, I was wondering… would you mind giving me and Castle here a minute? I've got something kind of personal I need to talk to him about."

"Oh, sure. No problem." He said amiably. "It was nice to meet you Rick. Happy Birthday." He said before grabbing his drink and walking away.

"Ryan? That was Fucking Paul, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, it kind of was."

Castle poked Ryan in the chest with his pointer finger causing him to look down at the intrusive digit. Castle then trailed his finger straight up, hitting Ryan's nose. He used to do it to make Alexis laugh when she was little. Ryan was more than a little worried his friend might be on the verge of losing it.

"Why'd you do that?" Ryan asked.

"Just checking to see if you were real. Am I being _Punk'd_ Ryan?"

"How many of those have you had?" He asked pointing to the drink Castle was holding.

"Not enough, believe me."

Alexis came over and handed him a plate of food. "Here Dad. Eat." Nothing was going right. That blonde ruined everything. Kate was mad at Dad and now he was drinking too much. She should at least make sure he ate something. "You need to keep up your strength. Don't worry Dad. You can fix this. That one wasn't your fault." She kissed him on the cheek and scooted away.

"Thanks honey. Hey! Wait! What do you mean _that one_ wasn't my fault?" She only smiled enigmatically and kept on walking.

XXXXX

Lanie followed Kate into the Ladies Room, prepared to allow her friend a moment to compose herself. Kate hadn't said a word since they went in there and Lanie was starting to become alarmed. She looked about ready to explode.

Kate stood in front mirror, braced herself on the vanity and tried to get her temper in check. She knew she shouldn't be shocked. There were always going to be other women who would want Castle for themselves, but his _flight attendant_ days were over, she'd see to that. The only friendly skies he'd be flying from now on were hers. And after this morning's activities Kate wasn't overly concerned about her competition. What bothered her most was she'd come _way_ too close just now to making a scene in front of all of their friends and family which was decidedly not her style, and she'd be damned if she was going to lose her temper in front of two hundred of their closest friends. She saw him push the blonde away, and that was all the confirmation she really needed to know he wasn't interested in that woman, but the bitch had better be gone by the time she got back out there.

Lanie couldn't take it any longer and jumped to Castle's defense. Kate's silence was killing her. "You can't blame him for that kiss. The hussy took him by surprise. She kissed _him _and then he pushed her away. Tell me you saw that Kate? Come on, you know the only one he wants is you."

"I know Lanie. I just need another minute." Kate looked up at herself in the mirror not liking what she saw. It appeared she was running again. The first sign of trouble and she was holed up in the Ladies Room. This had to stop. She had to march back out there, not care who was listening, apologize, and then she needed to shoot the blonde harlot. Or maybe she'd shoot the blonde harlot first, face him and then apologize. She was still working out the time-line.

Kate had a strange look on her face and Lanie couldn't read her. Not for the first time tonight she kicked herself for not hiring a bouncer at the door. "What are you going to do?" Lanie asked cautiously.

Kate realized she was starting to freak Lanie out by not answering but as long as they were alone in there, she had a few questions for her good friend. She might as well take advantage of their privacy and catch her off guard. Lanie had some explaining to do. Kate took out her lipstick, and carefully re-applied it as Lanie patiently waited for the question.

"Lanie? Kate said sweetly. You wouldn't happen to know why _almost_ all of my ex-boyfriends are here tonight, would you?" Kate asked casually. The only ones not here are Josh and the guy she went to prom with.

"Josh was out of town. I mean, Castle must have had their numbers in his phone."

"You're sticking with that story?" She said, eyeing Lanie suspiciously. Kate didn't believe a word of it.

"Yes. Why yes, I am."

"Anyone else I need to worry about running into tonight? The twinkie, the publisher, more flight attendants, the Rockettes?"

"Hey! The flight attendant was _not_ invited. Wives one and two had other plans. And as for the Rocketttes – they're on tour."

"Okay then." She said "You going to tell me what's going on Lanie?"

"No." Lanie said with a challenge in her eyes and crossing her arms. Lanie knew from the start they'd come down to this moment. Kate and Castle were bound to find out they'd been interfering, but before she spilled, they'd be 100% together first.

It appeared they were at a standstill…

Kate's spidey senses were tingling and she vowed sooner or later she'd get to the bottom of it. This week was getting weirder by the minute - what with her secret admirer, the crazy stake-out – wedding included, the declarations and confessions, love-making and fighting, and now this party with nearly everyone they both know in attendance acting as if they were waiting for something to happen. Kate wanted off the merry-go-round and was pretty sure Castle felt the same way. Too many things this week didn't make any sense and their friends were all acting nervous as cats. Something was definitely up, but whatever it was would have to wait. Only one thing mattered right now and that was fixing things with Castle.

"Fine…bring 'em all on, Lanie. I'm done running. I'm in love with Castle, he's in love with me and I've been an idiot." She declared. "Now if you'll excuse me I have to go apologize and beg his forgiveness."

"Well, alright! Go get 'em tiger!" Lanie beamed, following her friend out. She was relieved Kate appeared to be letting her suspicions go – for now anyway. She was pretty sure the proverbial jig was about to be up.

She and Lanie made their way through the room, ignoring watchful eyes, and proceeded towards where Castle, Esposito, and Ryan were standing at the bar. Thankfully, there was no sign of the harlot. Castle braced himself as she moved determinedly closer. She looked amazing. Her short black dress clung to every one of the curves he'd come to recently know so well and it was hard _not_ to stare at the sight of her long bare legs knowing they'd been wrapped around him hours earlier. He straightened his posture and tampered down his usual show of appreciation.

So what, if she was the most beautiful woman in the room? So what, if she was in his bed only hours ago and that he was completely in love with her. She was about to ream him a new asshole, in front of everyone, for kissing Jacinda, which was - Not His Fault - not that she'll believe him. She said so herself - she doesn't trust him anymore. Besides, he was still mad at _her_. Ms. Self-righteous; she'd lied to him too. And after everything they've been through together, four freaking years, how could she possibly _not_ forgive him, when she knows damn well he was only trying to protect her? But now here she was, the woman of his dreams, not ten feet away and he had no idea how to fix any of it.

"Detective Beckett, Mr. Castle? A word please." Everyone froze at the sound of Gates voice and they all turned to look at her. "Mr. Castle? Do you have an office here?"

"Uh, yes Captain, I do." He said, becoming alarmed. Gates looked pissed, although didn't she always? "Do you need to use it?"

"Not me, Mr. Castle...WE. I need to talk to you and Detective Beckett in private, immediately." She told them in her no nonsense tone. She turned around to the swarm of people who were pretending they weren't eavesdropping. "And someone please bring me the damn box." She yelled, stunning the place into silence.

"You heard the lady." Mayor Weldon said loudly. "Bring her the box!"

Karpowski came running over with a large black velvet box and handed it over to Gates. "Thank you." She said taking it from her.

"Okay. You two..." She said pointing at Castle and Beckett. "Let's go. Show me this office of yours."

They looked at each other, silently questioning with their eyes if the other knew what Gates could possibly want. Kate gave a slight shrug and Castle shook his head a bit in answer. They both hadn't a clue.

The crowd moved closer to watch the exchange, most of them nodding and grinning at each other, which did not go unnoticed by Castle and Beckett. It seemed they were not in on the joke.

Castle dutifully led them to the basement office door and they went down the stairs. Castle and Beckett both jumped when they heard someone close the lid behind them, and shared the same three thoughts…

What the hell was going on here?

What could possibly be in the box Gates was carrying that apparently _everyone_ but them knew about?

And – was that cheering?...

Gates looked around the office taking in the desk and chairs and motioned for them to both sit. "Have a seat, get comfortable, we're going to be here for a while."

Although Castle didn't appreciate being ordered around in his very own office, he could tell the Captain obviously had something pretty important to discuss by her no nonsense tone. He begrudgingly took one of the chairs in front of his desk, as did Beckett. Maybe their esteemed Captain would have some answers as to what the hell was going on upstairs and why everyone they knew was acting so strangely. Then again, maybe they were both about to yell at him. _Oh, joy._

Beckett had to work to pay attention to Gates, as she was busy watching Castle in her peripheral vision. He looked angry, confused and he refused to look her way. He kept his focus strictly on the Captain who was watching them both intently, and contemplating her next words.

"I suppose you're both wondering why I've asked you down here?" Gates said, watching as they both nodded in the affirmative. They both assumed she wanted to talk to them about the case they'd just worked and the stake-out she'd sent them on.

They would be wrong.

She assessed her captive audience carefully, not sure how to proceed. She'd come to the conclusion they were either very good actors or both entirely clueless, which would be the understatement of the year. She was leaning greatly towards the latter. She decided to handle her next words the way she always does….

"This has gone on long enough!" Gates exclaimed with blunt force. It was as she'd suspected… they hadn't a clue. _Too bad._

"Never in my life have I witnessed two seemingly intelligent adults take something so simple and make it so difficult. Frankly, it's pathetic, and I find myself unable to sit by and watch any longer. It's too distracting, and I have other things to do. So I'm here as the voice of reason." She said. "Lord knows someone has to be." She added under her breath.

"During my time here at the twelfth, I've made some interesting observations. Allow me to share them with you both." She said, not really asking. Her tone left them no choice but to shut up and listen whether they wanted to hear it or not.

"Detective Beckett?" She said, causing Kate to jump. "Before I even met you, I met Mr. Castle. Would you like to know my first impression?" She asked Kate, who nodded. Castle braced himself for the worst.

"I thought who is this man, this writer, who thinks he's a cop? And better yet, what the hell is he doing in my precinct? That's what I thought." She turned to Castle, who started to fidget in his chair. "Then I did a little digging. The grapevine was more than informative and I quickly found myself thoroughly…._impressed …_at his dedication to you and your unit. Shock clearly registered on Castle's face. That had so _not_ been what he'd expected the Captain to say. "Although his ass still had to go." She added quickly, giving him another look. "Pesky little rules, and all." _That was more like it._

"Nevertheless, I was still impressed." She said turning back to Kate. "I'd learned through my sources that from the time you'd been shot, he'd been working day in and day out attempting to solve the crime committed against you, Detective. He hardly slept or ate, and was glued to your chair, nearly to the point of collapse from working your case, worried sick over you."

"His actions and the depths of despair over your condition led me to speculate as to the true status of your _relationship. _I was assured you were just friends, partners, you worked together, and he shadowed you on cases for research on his books, nothing more."

"I'm not a stupid woman." She said. "His grief was more than distress over a work partner or friend being injured. He was devastated. And too close to you to be of any real use to anyone working the case. So I showed him the door. Got some grief over that one, I don't mind sayin', but his place was by your side - surely he could see that? I assumed that's where he went." The guilt shone on Kate's face. _He did come to my side, but I sent him away. _Rick tried not to notice, but Kate did appear remorseful.

Gates was still talking…

"We continued to investigate your shooting relentlessly, but after months still came up cold. Mr. Castle dropped out of site, during which time I assumed he was helping you with your recovery. Then you came back to work. Alone. I didn't think any more of it, figured it to be a passing phase. Oh, but my, how wrong was I, because he showed up again one day out of the blue – Isn't that right Mr. Castle? – and I haven't been able to get rid of him since." He recoiled in his chair from the evil eye she shot him. _He did have a way with women…just not the two in this room apparently. _

Satisfied they both were listening, she continued… "I've watched you together." She said, noting their surprise and nervousness. "It's obvious you're more than just partners." Kate started to open her mouth to deny they'd ever acted anything but professional, and Gates raised one hand, effectively cutting her off. "I'm not accusing you of acting unprofessional; I'm just saying you're more than just partners. Don't get your panties in a knot Detective." Kate closed her mouth.

"The thing is…to my chagrin…I've found myself wondering why."

"It's obvious you're both crazy about each other..." Kate ventured a look at Rick and wondered if he still was.

"You work well together, feed off each other, challenge each other and it's led to your tremendous success in solving cases." Rick felt Kate's eyes on him and risked turning to her. They locked eyes as Gates continued seemingly unaware of their silent communication.

"You're continuously saving each other's asses like it's some sort of contest. And when you're not arguing, you spend the other half your time flirting shamelessly. Everyone that comes into contact with you thinks you're a couple. Don't even get me started on that weird little thing you do where you finish each other's sentences. It's like you're already married."

That last word got a reaction from Caskett as they raised their eyebrows at one another. They didn't bother denying the Captain's observations. She had them dead to rights.

Gates was on a roll now, basically ignoring them both as she spoke. She seemed to need to get this off her chest or she'd self combust, so they didn't interrupt. At this point they were only half listening anyway, more focused on each other and their mind-meld.

Kate couldn't help it and grinned at him. He tilted his head at her and grinned back. They both wished Gates would leave.

Kate was on the verge of flinging herself at him, whether her boss was in the room or not. Her plan was to beg Castle's forgiveness and promise to stop running for the rest of her life, if he'd have her. His consisted of promising never to keep secrets from her again while he reacquainted himself with every inch of Kate's body.

"Oh, for God's sake! Get a room already!" Gates yelled, causing the trance to break and Kate to blush. You'd think they'd been caught necking in the break room. _Now there's a thought…_

Gates muttered something about them not being contestants on The Dating Game, rambled on about disruptions in the work place, how love lives needed to come second while on the job, and how all of this _Team Caskett_ nonsense had driven her crazy.

"Wait a minute, what was that last part Sir?" Kate said aloud.

"What?" Gates replied.

"You said _Team Caskett_ and how it's been driving you crazy." Kate answered. "What exactly is _Team Caskett, _Sir?"

_Whoops. Cat's out of the bag._ Gates hadn't meant to divulge what their friends had been up to. _Too late now._ She assessed the two of them, noting the hostility had dissipated and figured _what the hell…_

"Team Caskett is a group, consisting of your friends and families," Gates said. "Created for the sole purpose of getting you both together. In other words, it was designed to get your heads out of your asses." Both Castle and Beckett had their mouths hanging open. "For more information, you'll have to ask them yourselves."

"COOL!", "WHAT?" Rick and Kate exclaimed simultaneously and both rising from their chairs.

Kate had known something was going on since she walked in the door tonight, but had no idea they'd formed a team. She wondered briefly if they had a union.

"Why those little devils!"Rick exclaimed, smiling. "Hey Kate, you know what this means, right?" She shook her head still looking somewhat stunned. "We have a shipper name!" Castle said beaming, his hundred-watt smile aimed at Beckett. "That's so awesome!"

Kate smiled in return, but started to seriously re-think the events of the week. _How could she and Castle have been so blind? _All of the strange happenings were starting to make sense now. _The secret admirer!_ Their little band of misfits had some explaining to do.

"We've been had!" Kate exclaimed.

"Now don't be mad at them." Gates told Kate. "They only did this because they care for you both, and although their actions were considerably unorthodox, their intentions were good. And if you tell them I said that I will have you doing extra paperwork for a year." Gates still couldn't believe she'd been dragged into this ridiculous dramady and wished she'd had the foresight to have brought her cocktail downstairs with her. Well, it was time she left them to it; her work here was done. She turned to leave, headed for the stairs.

"Captain?" Castle asked.

"Yes, Mr. Castle?"

"First, thank you – for your observations. We'll be sure to take them…under advisement, won't we Kate." He looked to Kate and grinned lustfully at her, making her blush again.

"You're welcome." She replied, and although her lips may not have formed a smile, her eyes did.

"But one more question…" Castle said.

"What is it, Mr. Castle?" She replied, anxious to get out of there before they jumped one another.

"Aren't you going to tell us what's in the box you brought down?" he asked.

"Ah, yes. I almost forgot. It may be your belated surprise birthday party Mr. Castle, but the box is a gift for both of you - from all those people waiting upstairs and some that couldn't make it. Go on, open it. Come up when you're ready." She smirked before disappearing up the stairs, opening and shutting the lid again.

They were finally alone. Kate was the first to speak. "Okay. I'm not sure what freaks me out more…being bamboozled by our friends and family or the fact that Gates has been watching us that closely and is rooting for us." She joked to hide her nervousness.

"Yeah, the Gates watching us thing... little creepy." He said watching her.

She looked back. Judgment Day had arrived. They both looked up at the sound of more cheering and smiled. They were standing way too far apart for Kate's liking. His smile faded as she moved closer and closer towards him, coming to stand in front of him, but still not touching him. She needed to apologize.

"Castle…I'm so sorry. Please, you have to forgive me for running out on you, for flying off the handle like that earlier. I was just so shocked when you told me, and then I acted so horribly to you. I realized you tried to tell me before we…you know...made love."

She wanted so badly to touch him, but he wasn't saying anything. She was afraid he was weighing the good and bad of being with her, and she still had a long road to travel before she'd reach fun and uncomplicated. She fought back the tears.

"I'm so sorry Castle, for lying to you about…what you said to me when I got shot…for not telling you how I've felt about you until today…for making you wait all this time for me to finally see you've been right here all along. I know you were only trying to protect me. And whether you forgive me or not, I'm done with pursuing my mother's case. I've wasted too much time already…thirteen years…I'm done with it. The wall I once had? You drove a bulldozer through it. There are other things more important – you're more important. I love you Castle…Will you ever be able to forgive…"

He grabbed her and his lips came crashing down upon hers. He kissed her with everything he was worth and she responded with even greater passion. Hands, and lips, roamed everywhere – they were starving for each other. He walked her backwards pressing her up against the wall, knocking over a chair or two in their way, not caring about anything but the feel of being back in each other's arms again, back where they belonged.

"Kate?" he muttered as he attacked the side of her neck with his lips, nibbling gently along the side and then kissing his way down the front of her chest. Her moans drowned out his words.

How is he expecting me to talk when he's doing that to me? Her hands were in his hair, his body was up against hers and his tongue was in her mouth again. God, he was a great kisser.

"aaatte." He said again, pulling his lips from hers. He was making her dizzy. And she liked it. Didn't matter how dizzy she got, he'd catch her. She needed him naked and horizontal. The couch would do. "About before, with Jacinda…I want you to know, that was not my fault."

She stopped him before he went any further. "I know Castle. I saw the whole thing. She's lucky I didn't shoot her." She grabbed him by the tie and started walking him backwards in the direction of the couch. She's never wanted anyone so much in her life. "But let's play a game, okay? You promise never to say that woman's name to me again, and I promise to make you forget yours right now. Doesn't that sound like a fun game?"

"Yes, it really does. I'm in. I love game night."

"Good boy."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Half hour later**

They could hear the party still going on upstairs. It sounded like everyone was having an excellent time. Not as good a time as they were having, but then again, that wasn't possible.

After getting dressed again Kate and Rick sat down on the couch and opened the box. It was filled with cards, notes, and letters from everyone they knew along with a scrapbook filled with photos taken of the two of them over the course of the last four years.

"This is incredible." Rick said flipping through the scrapbook.

"I know. How did they do all of this?" Kate seconded. "It's amazing."

"They've been very, very busy." Rick said. "The rascals."

"Tell me about it. I don't know about you, but I've started putting all the pieces together. This has been one wild week."

"I know. You're secret admirer is upstairs, by the way." Rick told her.

"You mean Paul, from Vice?"

"No. I mean Fucking Paul from Vice."

"You do know Paul is gay, right?" She said.

"No, actually, I didn't, but I did figure out after meeting him, he was the red herring."

They sat there for a while and compared notes on what they thought happened all week.

"Alexis adores teddy bears." Rick told her. "Especially great big ones. Her room is filled with them. And she and my mother had access to my credit card."

"All the photos in your loft have her holding them – the bears, not the credit cards."

"Ryan and Esposito getting stuck in the elevator…lay you odds they were planning to lock us up in there."

"Lanie knows I love purple roses."

"My angelic daughter stole my phone to invite all of these people."

"There's only one person I know who would send me a big purple vibrator with your name on it." Kate said.

"Madison." They said in unison.

"The boys gave me more than a few pep-talks."

"Lanie did the same with me."

"Oh, my God, Castle! I bet the stake-out was a fake-out. It was way too bizarre. Do you think they staged it, or was it a coincidence?"

"I think anything's possible with Team Caskett on the job." He said. "But if they did stage that, then we'll have to thank my mother, Judge Markway, Karpowski, and…."

"Gates!" They said together, smiling.

"I did leave there believing if Sammy and Sammy Saverese could be happy, well then, so could we." Kate told him.

"Me too." Rick agreed pulling her close and placing a kiss on her head. "Team Caskett - gotta love it."

"You're going to be calling us that from now on, aren't you?"

"What Caskett? I like it. It's our shipper name. And it has a nice ring to it." _Won't be as nice as the ring he plans to put on her finger…_

"Whatever you say Rigid Ricky."

"You still have that, right?"

"Oh, yeah. And now I've got the real thing too."

"I think Gates secretly likes me."

"Now, you're reaching."

They read some of the cards aloud to each other. There were over a hundred of them, each more cherished than the next, all sending wishes, love, and congratulations their way.

Just a few…

I told you he was all yours! Congratulations! Love, Kyra

Congratulations! Now keep it out of my precinct. From Sir, with love.

Let's see how he observes you now. Congrats! It's about damn time. Jordan Shaw

It was getting late and they needed to put in an appearance upstairs or they'd never hear the end of it, so they'd read the notes together later, and probably a hundred times over, after that.

"You ready to face the crazies?" He asked her.

"Yes. Let's do this." She said taking his hand in hers.

They made their way upstairs but the lid wouldn't open. They actually had to bang on it a bunch of times before they heard it being opened from the other side.

"Hey! Lookie here!" Ryan yelled to the room as he smiled at Rick and Kate. "It's Caskett!"

The crowd swarmed in on them, and the applause, hooting and hollering erupted. Family and friends made their way over to congratulate them on their new relationship. Everyone hugged basically… well, everyone.

The party was just getting started.

Kate and Rick had the pleasure of meeting the actors who portrayed Sammy and Sammy Saverese. They both attended his mother's school. She gave them an "A". Samantha was coincidentally, the daughter of Judge Markway's wife's second cousin Ellen.

Fucking Paul and Perlmutter seemed to be really hitting it off.

About an hour later, once things settled down, and after they'd been able to have some food and drink, Rick and Kate were hanging out at the bar surrounded by their friends. Rick looked Kate in the eyes, and her smile lit up her face. He couldn't stop himself. He grabbed her, and in front of two hundred of their closest family and friends, kissed the stuffing out of her.

"10:50." Ryan yelled out after checking his watch.

"Who had 10:50?" Esposito, who was holding an envelope filled with cash, yelled to the crowd.

"I did." Called a voice from down a ways. "Step aside. Step aside people." Captain Victoria Gates demanded as she came forward to accept her winnings. _Maybe running things at the twelfth wasn't such a bad gig after all._

"Hey, Dad!" Alexis hollered. "You should open your gifts now!"

"Yes! Finally!" Said Madison. "Open mine first! You guys are going to love it!" She said to Rick and Kate.

"NO!" Yelled…well, everyone before they all burst out laughing.

**The End…**

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the last chapter of Team Caskett. I'm sad to see it end. Thanks for reading and for all your reviews and alerts. I had a lot of fun writing this! I was thinking of doing an Epilogue, but not sure yet. I'd like to think I could come up with some more notes from those who couldn't make it to the party and I was also thinking of spinning off to a Lanie/Esposito fic. I would love to hear your comments. Thanks, Karen


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